The Chicago Cubs are rumored to be selling Cody Bellinger, and Bellinger himself responded to the situation on Thursday.
Bellinger is no stranger to trade chatter, and he realizes that a player of his caliber is inevitably going to be in discussions all of the time.
Still just 28 years old, Bellinger has pulled off quite a decorated career already. His trophy shelf includes National League Rookie of the Year (2017), two-time All-Star (2017, 2019), NLCS MVP (2018), NL MVP (2019), two-time Silver Slugger (2019, 2023), World Series champion, and NL Comeback Player of the Year (2023).
Bellinger's talent, in tandem with the Cubs' struggles, has turned the former Dodger into an available deadline asset in each of his first two seasons in Chicago.
With July underway, the 2024 Cubs find themselves in an unfortunately identical position to last year's team -- underachieving and trending toward seller status.
Bellinger sees less of a parallel to last year in his current situation, but he's made clear that he's applying the same mentality to deal with all the noise.
“Feels like it’s a little different this year,” Bellinger said in reference to trade rumors, per The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma. “But just like last year, I’m definitely not going to think about it. Like everything, it’s a distraction to what you need to accomplish. I won’t think about it. Just take it day by day.”
In analyzing Bellinger's remarks, Sharma suggested that contractual implications are the main factor differentiating 2024 from 2023 for Bellinger.
"Bellinger didn’t expand on what he meant when he said it felt “different this year” with regard to trade rumors," Sharma said. "But one way they’re different is his contract status. Bellinger has two more years on his deal, but he has potential opt-outs after this season and next. Any team that acquires Bellinger could be on the hook for $52.5 million. ... Talking to scouts around baseball, there is a belief that the money could be a big roadblock for many teams. ... The Cubs could also agree to conditionally kick in more money should he opt into his contract for next season."
Bellinger certainly has suitors (the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees included), regardless of concerns over expense.
On the other hand, Bellinger's immediate future largely depends on the degree to which Cubs president Jed Hoyer is eager to sell.
In a deadline season where there are far fewer sellers than usual, Hoyer has the opportunity to get a beefy return for Bellinger despite his concerning drop in slug.
Will Hoyer take advantage of the leverage in front of him, or will he decide to hold onto his prized asset?
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