Are Cubs going to be sellers?

As we get closer and closer to the trade deadline and the Cubs get farther and farther away from .500, it is looking more and more likely that the Cubs could become sellers.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun Times suggests that the Cubs could benefit from shedding some dead weight and even though its hard to imagine the fans supporting a rebuilding project, here are some players who could be traded before the deadline:

Kosuke Fukudome - Ken Rosenthal and John Paul Morosi have reported that the Cubs have put Fukudome on the market.  The Cubs want to give Tyler Colvin more playing time but shedding Fukudome and his hefty contract won't be easy.  The Red Sox, Yankees, Padres and Nationals have been rumored as possible suitors, but the Cubs will likely have to eat a good chunk of his salary to move him.

Xavier Nady - If the Cubs cannot trade Fukudome, they may try to trade Nady instead to clear up some outfield space.  The Angels were rumored to be a possible suitor, but that was quickly dismissed.  However, Nady has hit well as Derrek Lee's backup at first and could possibly supplant Lee if Lee is traded (or continues to scuffle with the bat).

Ted Lilly - Lilly is in the final year of his contract and would be the second best lefthander on the market, behind Seattle's Cliff Lee, if made available.  He has a partial no-trade clause, but would probably be willing to waive it to move to a contender (and get some wins).

Derrek Lee - Lee was the other player that the Angels were reportedly interested in, but that was later denied as well.  Lee has a full no-trade clause and wants to stay with the Cubs.  It is unlikely that he will be moved.

Ryan Theriot - John Paul Morosi suggested that the Cubs should consider moving Theriot.  His reasoning is that the Theriot provides very little upside over a Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker platoon, there are a handfull of teams out there who could use an upgrade at short and he is relatively cheap (which would increase interest in him).  A pretty good idea by John Paul, as the Cubs have plenty of infield depth in their minor league system and Theriot does not appear to be the long-term answer at second.

So, with the trade deadline looming, the Cubs are going to have to decide if they've got what it takes to make a run or is it time to blow things up and start over.  Personally, I think this team needs an infusion of youth and fast.  If they can find takers for some of their bloated contracts, they should jump at the chance.