PITTSBURGH — Dansby Swanson, the Gold Glove shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, has personified the club’s streakiness at various points of an up-and-down season with so many twists and turns still ahead.

The current cliffhanger is the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the last meaningful opportunity for the Cubs to dramatically change their roster before the playoffs. Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins, the organization’s top baseball executives, are planning to buy with a singular focus on pitching.

Steady and spectacular and dedicated to his craft on defense, Swanson embodies the group of position players the Cubs have assembled. Now in the fourth season of a seven-year, $177 million contract that includes a full no-trade clause, Swanson kept working through an extended slump and the calls for him to be benched.

This is what a deep, playoff-caliber lineup is supposed to look like: Swanson bats at or near the bottom of the order, yet leads the team with 60 RBIs and remains on pace to finish with around 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

The extent to which Chicago’s front office is willing to pay for premium pitching is unclear, which is how Saturday’s conversation with The Athletic began inside PNC Park’s visitors’ clubhouse, starting with a question about whether the club has earned a significant reinvestment at the trade deadline.

Swanson: It’s always an interesting perspective of what everyone thinks should be done. Even just the question — and I’m not giving you a hard time — it’s like: “Have we earned it?” We have a top-five record in baseball, and you could argue that we haven’t really played as well as we can, so maybe that answers the question in its own right.

Outside of a horrible 10-game stretch, we’ve won games, and that’s without most of us performing to our capabilities, which is really a testament to how good the team is. We can sit here and say, “Oh, well, this could be better or that could be better.” But the more you’re around the game, you understand it’s not as easy as we make it seem, in terms of, “Oh, if we just do this and this.” Because they’re balancing so many different things and scenarios.

Everyone always wants the team to drastically improve, right? Especially with a team of our caliber, so it will be interesting to see what shakes out. It’s not always the sexiest things that are the best things. I’ve been a part of teams that have done moves that weren’t substantial, but they worked.

‘We have just as good a chance as anybody’

Swanson was a key member of the 2021 Atlanta Braves team that went into the All-Star break with a 44-45 record. Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta’s lead baseball executive, still acquired Joc Pederson from the Cubs during that midseason break, which would begin Hoyer’s franchise-changing sell-off. The Braves then kept adding valuable role players that July, setting the stage for their run to a World Series title.

Hoyer’s front office executed multiple trades at last year’s deadline, improving the roster incrementally without putting together that one blockbuster deal that shocked the baseball world. The Cubs would go on to beat the San Diego Padres in the wild-card round, then lose to the Milwaukee Brewers in a five-game series.

The question this deadline is not whether the Cubs have earned some reinforcements. It’s more wondering how much the front office is willing to sacrifice in terms of projected future value.

Swanson: I think that they will 100 percent be well-intentioned to do the right thing. I don’t know what the right thing is. I don’t know what the right piece, or pieces, are.

It’s always such an interesting time, too. I was even thinking about this the other day. My name has popped up in trade speculation before, a long time ago in the past, and I have gotten traded before, but that was more offseason stuff. It’s such an interesting dynamic how there’s potential to maybe even affect people in this clubhouse. It’s staying, in a way, respectful of where their mental space is at.

At the end of the day, we know that if we improve our team, then we have just as good a chance as anybody. At least that’s how we all feel.

Dansby Swanson, who hit an RBI-double in Saturday’s win over the Pirates, is confident in the Cubs’ front office ahead of the trade deadline. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)

‘Iron sharpens iron’

The playoff projection systems strongly suggest the Cubs won’t catch the Brewers in the National League Central race. That would mean not getting a first-round bye, an important factor that Hoyer has referenced when determining how aggressive the front office should be at the trade deadline.

But the numbers can’t determine everything. Hoyer has also alluded to the eye test of how the club is performing, player health and where the roster can get better.

Take Saturday’s 11-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates as an example. Pete Crow-Armstrong (4-for-5 with two doubles and his 23rd home run) continues to produce at an MVP level. By throwing six scoreless innings, Shota Imanaga outperformed reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, the night after Matthew Boyd’s strong start enabled the Cubs to outlast Jared Jones in a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. In back-to-back games at PNC Park, Gavin Hollowell and Javier Assad became the 11th and 12th Cubs relievers to notch a save this year.

In the postseason, these qualities can be accentuated.

Swanson: Defense is obviously our identity. Once again, you just look at the amount of runs we scored with subpar performance from a lot of guys. And I don’t say that in a disrespectful way, because I’m in that same group of what you would expect and what you are getting. And yet we’re still producing a top-(five) offense in baseball. Imagine if those things start rolling.

In ’21, that’s what happened for us (in Atlanta). The last six-and-a-half weeks of the season, we all just caught fire and the rest is history.

This team has a certain factor about it that just wins games even when we shouldn’t. The belief — just consistently winning games by any means necessary — that plays well for October.

The other thing is you’re not really going to see much better velocity and pitching than in the Central, if you think about the guys the Brewers are throwing. Think about what (we’ve seen in Pittsburgh). Think about what some of the Reds starters throw out there. The Cardinals have thrown the ball well. They have guys that throw hard out of the bullpen. That’s an iron-sharpens-iron thing going into October, too.

‘It doesn’t always look pretty’

Every year, it seems, there’s at least one big-market team that wins the offseason and then collapses under the weight of expectations, injuries and underperformance.

Alex Bregman hasn’t yet played up to his five-year, $175 million contract. Edward Cabrera, one of 12 pitchers on the injured list, has yet to show why the Cubs were so determined to make that winter trade with the Miami Marlins. Cade Horton and Justin Steele have combined to throw 7 ⅓ innings this season. Yet, the Cubs are 14 games over .500 and holding the top wild-card spot in a competitive NL field.

Why did this season not go off the rails? How did the pitching staff hold up and the clubhouse stay together?

Swanson: Leadership. I say that just in terms of how this team operates. There’s a lot of self-sustaining guys. Not in a selfish way, but just professionals. Other than health on the mound, position players have played. We’ve all gotten a couple days here and there, some mental days or whatever, but we’ve taken the field. That adds up throughout a season. That’s how you withstand the crap that goes sideways. You just keep showing up and trust in this process we have to win games. It leads you to this point. It doesn’t always look pretty or look fun, but it gets the job done.

The Big Ten didn’t have a quarterback selected in the first round of the NFL Draft from 1996 through 2018, and the league’s play at that position over that span largely reflected that reality. Much has changed in the Big Ten over the past eight years, and that’s especially true at quarterback.

Since 2019, six Big Ten quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round. But the league has its deepest talent pool at the position right now. Entering this fall, as many as six quarterbacks could land in the Heisman Trophy race and first-round discussion, with another five or six capable of becoming upper-level starters. So determining three teams of preseason All-Big Ten quarterbacks is nearly impossible, let alone deciding on a first-team selection.

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin edges Oregon’s Dante Moore, USC’s Jayden Maiava and Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. — in that order — for preseason All-Big Ten honors in The Athletic’s analysis. In most years, Williams would be a first-team choice; instead, he is the best incoming player ever left off a Big Ten preseason team.

Here’s a look at those quarterbacks and others who land on our preseason All-Big Ten team. To accommodate different schemes, the offense and defense each have 12 players.

First-team offense

Quarterback: Julian Sayin, sophomore, Ohio State

There are at least four Big Ten quarterbacks who could comfortably slot here, but there’s a reason Sayin tops the list. As a redshirt freshman last season, Sayin completed 77 percent of his passes, which was a Big Ten record and the third best mark in NCAA history, and passed for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns to finish fourth in Heisman balloting. And that was in his first season as a starter.

Running back: Antwan Raymond, junior, Rutgers

Rutgers has churned out several talented running backs since joining the Big Ten, and Raymond might be the most talented. Winner of the Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian in college football, Raymond compiled 1,466 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He rushed for 240 yards against Maryland and 189 against Penn State.

Running back: Bo Jackson, sophomore, Ohio State

Jackson seamlessly replaced a pair of NFL Draft picks and rushed for 1,090 yards and six touchdowns last fall. He is just the fifth true freshman to surpass 1,000 rushing yards at Ohio State, and his best performance (117 rushing yards, 49 receiving yards) came at Michigan.

Wide receiver: Jeremiah Smith, junior, Ohio State

Smith has made a strong case that he is the Big Ten’s greatest receiver, and the numbers back him up. In the past two seasons, Smith has more receiving yards (2,558) and touchdowns (27) than any receiver nationally and the second-most catches (163).

Wide receiver: K.J. Duff, junior, Rutgers

A challenger to join Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney as a preseason first-team All-American, Duff caught 60 passes for 1,084 yards, which ranked third among Big Ten receivers. His 22 contested catches led the nation, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wide receiver: Charlie Becker, junior, Indiana

Becker came through with massive fourth-quarter catches during the Hoosiers’ national championship run, especially late against Miami and Ohio State. He hauled in 34 catches for 679 yards (20 yards per catch) and four scores.

Tight end: Jamari Johnson, junior, Oregon

In a conference filled with talented tight ends, Johnson stands out as a major threat in the passing game. Despite playing alongside first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq last season, Johnson still started 10 games and caught 32 passes for 510 yards (sixth most by a tight end in Oregon history) and three touchdowns.

Tackle: Carter Smith, senior, Indiana

A unanimous first-team All-American last year, Smith chose to return for his senior year after leading Indiana to the College Football Playoff title and earning the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year award. Smith has 41 consecutive starts at left tackle and is the only returning FBS tackle who graded in Pro Football Focus’ top 10 in pass blocking and run blocking.

Carter Smith was a first-team All-American last season at Indiana. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Tackle: Trevor Lauck, junior, Iowa

Lauck replaced a four-year starter at left tackle and became a dominant performer in his first season as a starter. According to PFF, Lauck ranked fourth among tackles in pass blocking and allowed just six pressures all season on the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line.

Interior lineman: Kade Pieper, junior, Iowa

In his first season as a starter, Pieper became a force, garnering first-team All-American honors from PFF. Ranked as PFF’s No. 25 overall player entering the season, Pieper expects to move from right guard to center, where he vies to become the Hawkeyes’ second straight Rimington Trophy winner.

Interior lineman: Iapani Laloulu, senior, Oregon

The undisputed leader on the Ducks’ Joe Moore Award runner-up offensive line, Laloulu has 30 career starts at center and was a first-team All-American last year. Laloulu allowed just one sack in 442 pass-blocking snaps and none over the Ducks’ final nine games.

Interior lineman: Justin Evans, senior, Nebraska

Evans is the nation’s top-ranked returning center, according to PFF. Evans, who shifted from guard to center last year, has 31 career starts and paved the way for first-team All-American running back Emmett Johnson last year.

First-team defense

Defensive end: Anthony Smith, senior, Minnesota

Smith led the Big Ten in sacks last year with 12.5 and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, so it was a surprise to see him return to college football. But the Gophers stepped up and kept a potential first-team All-American to anchor an improving defense.

Defensive end: John Henry Daley, junior, Michigan

Daley, who earned All-American honors last fall, followed coach Kyle Whittingham from Utah and should be fully recovered from the ruptured Achilles he suffered last November. Daley had 11.5 sacks last fall and his 93.4 PFF pass-rush grade ranked behind only Texas Tech’s David Bailey, who went No. 2 in the NFL Draft.

Defensive tackle: A’Mauri Washington, senior, Oregon

An athletic, physical presence in the middle of the nation’s best defensive line, Washington commanded double-teams and clogged running lanes. PFF graded Washington as the ninth-best interior run stopper last year, and he knocked down eight passes, the most among defensive tackles.

Defensive tackle: Tyrique Tucker, senior, Indiana

A returning first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American defensive tackle, Tucker anchored the Hoosiers’ tenacious defense. Tucker recorded six sacks and 12 tackles for loss as an explosive gap rusher with a reputation as the hardest-working player on the field.

Linebacker: Rolijah Hardy, junior, Indiana

Undersized and overlooked, Hardy played big in major moments for the Hoosiers. He posted 13 tackles at Oregon and 10 against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. Hardy led Indiana in both tackles (102) and sacks (eight).

Linebacker: Isaiah Jones, senior, Indiana

Jones was a presence in each of the Hoosiers’ big games, from his 10-tackle, two-sack performance against Ohio State to his blocked punt recovery for a touchdown against Miami. Jones recorded 78 tackles — including 15.5 for loss — and seven sacks last fall.

Linebacker: Payton Pierce, junior, Ohio State

Despite playing behind first-round picks Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, Pierce put together a strong season with 43 total tackles, an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery. Along with Iowa’s Cam Buffington, Pierce should be a breakout performer at linebacker.

Cornerback: Brandon Finney Jr., sophomore, Oregon

Perhaps no cornerback in college football looks the part better than Finney, whose play matches his angular 6-2, 203-pound frame. Finney started 15 games as a true freshman and finished with 42 tackles, two forced fumbles and eight pass breakups. He recorded two of his three interceptions against Texas Tech to earn Orange Bowl Defensive MVP honors.

Oregon defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. had two interceptions in a playoff game against Texas Tech. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Cornerback: Jontez Williams, senior, USC

Injuries robbed Williams of all but five games last year, but few cornerbacks are better in coverage than the senior transfer from Iowa State. According to PFF, Williams has allowed a 25.6 passer rating since 2023, which is the best among FBS cornerbacks. He also has combined for five interceptions the past two seasons.

Defensive back: Zach Lutmer, junior, Iowa

A versatile defensive back capable of playing every position plus return specialist, Lutmer has Iowa coaches making comparisons to former Hawkeye Cooper DeJean. It’s not hyperbole, either. Lutmer had 71 tackles (5.5 for loss), seven pass breakups and three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.

Safety: Jaylen McClain, junior, Ohio State

Working alongside all-world safety Caleb Downs put McClain in the shadows, but that changes this fall. McClain should follow Downs as the next great Buckeyes DB and defensive team leader. Last year, he posted 53 tackles with three pass breakups to earn third-team All-Big Ten honors.

Safety: Koi Perich, junior, Oregon

An uber-talented safety, Perich transferred from home-state Minnesota, where he totaled 128 tackles and six interceptions in two seasons. Perich slides in as Dillon Thieneman’s replacement and could fill duties such as return specialist or receiver, which he did with the Gophers.

Specialists

Kicker: Nico Radicic, junior, Indiana

Radicic was close to a sure thing for the Hoosiers last season, connecting on all 87 extra-point attempts and 18 of 19 field goals.

Punter: Hunter Green, senior, Washington

A transfer from San Diego State, Green averaged 47 yards per punt last year. Of his 63 punts, 26 landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and 22 sailed at least 50 yards.

Return specialist: Jacory Barney Jr., sophomore, Nebraska

Barney averaged 12.3 yards per punt return and 21.2 yards per kick return last fall and didn’t score a special teams touchdown. Once he breaks a return, those averages will soar.