This weekend will kick off the exciting last seven days before the trade deadline. The series between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies is one that the Cubs should take advantage of. Besides being the perfect time to start a decent winning streak, there is the opportunity to take a close-up look at potential trade targets in Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon. Hamels is scheduled to start the Saturday game against Jake Arrieta. This series also highlights two franchises going in completely different directions.

The Cubs are finally playing winning baseball for the first time since 2009, the last time the Phillies went to the World Series. The Cubs are also holding onto a playoff spot, which would be their first since 2008, the last time the Phillies won the World Series. The Cubs’ arsenal of prospects and rookies are just getting started and the peak of the team’s winning machine is still to come.

The Phillies have been pretty bad for a few years now and there’s reason to believe that the worst is yet to come. The impending Hamels trade will make or break the franchise’s prospects of returning to prominence in a relatively short time-frame.  A good return will help build a core that the team will groom into winners; a bad return will have the team regretting keeping him so deep into the season.

The Phillies aren’t a complete dumpster-fire though. Rookie Maikel Franco has been great since being promoted to the majors. He would be a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year had he been promoted a lot sooner in the season. Pitching upstart Aaron Nola is also set to make his second career start in the series finale. These two young guys are bright spots in the rough season the Phillies are having.

With the trade deadline fast approaching, if the Cubs are serious about adding another arm to the rotation, Hamels is still a viable candidate to consider. Despite putting up less-than-stellar numbers, Hamels is still one of the most prized pitchers on the market. A change of scenery might bring back the dominance Hamels of years past. The Cubs might not be in the market for Hamels, due to the high price that the Phillies are demanding. However, the trade deadline always has surprises in store.