The Chicago Cubs are searching for a suitor to take 1st Basemen/Outfielder Cody Bellinger off their hands.
After making headlines this week with the acquisitions of RHP Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians and Catcher Matt Thaiss from the LA Angles, the Chicago Cubs are once again mired in trade rumors.
Once again Cody Bellingers name is back on the rumor mill in trade discussions. Last week reports surfaced of a proposal that would’ve sent Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner to the Yankees for a couple of prospects and RHP Marcus Stroman. This time it seems the Chicago Cubs are really looking to shop Bellinger around after he decided to opt back into his $27.5M dollar deal.
If the Chicago Cubs did indeed decided to move on from Bellinger they would in fact need to eat some of his $27.5M that he is owed. With that said, the question than becomes who are the teams that could benefit from a Bellinger trade? Off the top of the head there are 4 teams that could use a 1st Basemen/OF they are: The Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Arizona Diamondbacks. I already wrote of a potential trade between the Mariners and Cubs that would send Andres Muñoz and Logan Gilbert back to the Chicago Cubs for Bellinger and Nico Hoerner.
New York Mets
The Mets have a huge need for a power hitting 1st Basemen now the Pete Alonso is a free agent. The possibility of Alonso coming back to the Mets is still a possibility, but in the event he doesn’t Bellinger would be a great fit for them. With the Mets also making a trade for OF Jose Siri of the Rays, Bellinger would also be a good fit in Centerfield being he’s an offensive upgrade to Siri.
The deal that makes the most sense for both teams would most likely be a 1-for-1 swap in which the Cubs to me estimate would have to eat roughly $10M of Bellinger deal.
New York Mets receive: 1st Basemen/Outfielder Cody Bellinger, $10M dollars
Chicago Cubs receive: INF/OF Jeff McNeil
With Nico Hoerner on the shelf with no timetable set for his return and the Cubs most likely relying on untested talent prospects Matt Shaw or James Triantos, McNeil would be a great fill in at 2nd base while the Cubs wait for Hoernerd return. McNeil is coming off a down year where he did manage to play in 129 games, but only hit .238/.308/.384/.692 for an OPS+ of 97. McNeil is also under contract for 2 more years after 2025 with a team option for $15.75M and a $2M buyout for 2027.
New York Yankees
Coming off their World Series defeat, the Yankees are looking to spend some money this off season since they have a lot of money coming off their books. The Yankees are one of the main players in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but if they missed out on him Cody Bellinger wouldn’t be that bad of a consolation prize. The Yankees need both a 1st Basemen now that former Chicago Cub Anthony Rizzo is a free agent and a Centerfielder if they decide to move Aaron Judge back to Right field.
For me the Yankees have so much money coming off their books that the Chicago Cubs eating money here wouldn’t make to much sense even if they do sign Juan Soto.
New York Yankees receive: 1st Basemen/OF Cody Bellinger
Chicago Cubs receive: Catcher/1st Basemen Rafael Flores (Yankees #30 prospect)
With the Cubs searching for a future catcher and catching depth acquiring a guy like Rafael Flores is just what the doctor ordered. In 122 games combined between both High-A and Double-A combined Flores hit .285/.403/.466/.875 with 35 RBI, 6 HRS, 17 Doubles, and 55 hits. Flores also sports a .990 fielding percentage at the catching position.
Arizona Diamondbacks
This one will be simple it’s going to just be a straight up 1-for-1 swap. With Christian Walker now a free agent and the DBacks most likely not going to be able to sign him back, Bellinger would be a perfect fit at 1st for the Diamondbacks.
Arizona Diamondbacks receive: 1st Basemen/OF Cody Bellinger
Chicago Cubs receive: LHP Jordan Montgomery
With Montgomery set to make $22.5M this season after exercising his player option, the Chicago Cubs would not have to eat money in this case. The Diamondbacks owner has made his feelings clear that he wants to move on from Montgomery after he went 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.650 WHIP in 117 innings.
The Cubs need another piece for the rotation and Montgomery would be a good fit to fill in with the likes of Imanaga and Steele. Even though he’s not a top tier “Ace” the Cubs would like, he still has the potential to have a bounce back to the pitcher he was when we was with the Texas Rangers could still be there.
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