ST. LOUIS — With a pressing need for a front-line starting pitcher and interest in strengthening their bullpen, the Chicago Cubs are not focused on adding an impact hitter at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The player they really want is the free agent who signed a five-year, $175 million contract in the winter to great fanfare.Alex Bregman’s ongoing search for answers led him to Dansby Swanson, the Gold Glove shortstop who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, one spot ahead of Bregman, continuing a friendly rivalry that included playing together on USA Baseball’s collegiate national team.Swanson’s time with the Atlanta Braves ingrained him with certain old-school sensibilities, including a preference for swinging bigger, heavier bats. He uses a 34-inch Marucci JD20 model, going back and forth between versions weighing 32 and 31 1/2 ounces.As Bregman continued to tinker with his mechanics and push through an underwhelming first season with the Cubs, Swanson suggested trying his bat. Maybe something would click.MLB Mailbag: Trade deadline lightning roundAndy McCullough“It’s funny,” Swanson said. “When I found out that he was going to do it, I was like, ‘Dude, it’s guaranteed you’ll get four hits tonight.’”Swanson’s prediction came true in Monday’s 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, where Bregman went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run, teasing Cubs fans with the idea that maybe he had turned a corner.Cubs manager Craig Counsell found a question about that line of thought to be repetitive: “Let’s enjoy the good game he just had.”Dansby Swanson suggested Alex Bregman should try out his bat. Bregman went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run Monday night. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)Bregman’s reputation as someone who loves discussing hitting is also so well established that Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said, “He’s a nut about that.”But the moment still resonated because of the connected nature of the clubhouse and Bregman’s importance to the ultimate goal. Part of Chicago’s calculus at the trade deadline is that its well-rounded group of position players is good enough to win multiple rounds in October, especially if the highly paid hitters perform.