The MLB trade deadline is just over a week away and there is uncertainty surrounding how the Cubs will approach July 30.

Will they sell or will they buy – and how much will they push their chips in either direction?

At this point, everything is pretty much on the table, though it doesn’t appear as if a drastic sell-off like 2021 is coming down the line.

Cubs GM Carter Hawkins joined the Marquee Sports Network broadcast during Sunday’s game and while he didn’t share specific details on the team’s approach, he did provide some insight on the timeline of the deadline.

As it stands right now, only 2 teams in the National League (Rockies, Marlins) are out of the playoff race. The other 13 teams are all either in a postseason spot or within 5 games of the final Wild-Card position.

“I think it slows things down a little bit, to some extent,” Hawkins said in a conversation with Pat Hughes and Joe Girardi. “Just having a lot of different teams that are interested in adding to their team.

“And compounding that is the schedule of the Draft, as well. We literally just got out of the Draft room this week. So now we’re shifting gears to the deadline and I think all 29 other teams are doing the same thing.”

The Cubs selected third baseman Cam Smith in the 1st round and Hawkins said the young slugger – who just signed Saturday – is currently in Arizona going through the team’s physical testing process. From there, he will head to a minor league affiliate.

As for the deadline, it’s a difficult thing for front offices to balance the Draft during All-Star week, which falls just two weeks before the trading deadline.

“It seems like it’s a little phased where the week before the Draft, there’s a lot of conversations kinda setting up the deadline,” Hawkins said. “And over the last couple days, teams have kinda re-checked in and said, ‘alright, are you where you were before?'”

Head to the Marquee Sports Network app for Hawkins’ full interview.