Who Should Deal for Chicago Cubs Slugger Bellinger at Deadline?

Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger is one of the most talked-about hitters on the trade market, with the deadline coming on Aug. 1.

Why? Well, Bellinger is having his best season since he was the National League MVP in 2019.

He’s batting better than .300, has found his power swing again and has had a great July for the Cubs, who are just a couple of games under .500. Bellinger was coming off of two straight season in which he hit .210 or less, so this bounce-back is quite the surprise.

The Cubs probably want to keep him, but the Cubs and Bellinger have a mutual option of $25 million next season.

Is that too much? Maybe. But the Cubs may see this as an opportunity to get a package of players that will make them younger and more talented next season.

ESPN.com recently put together a list of trades it would like to see at the deadline and Bellinger’s name came up. The story found two potential trade partners for him.

The first is the Minnesota Twins, who lead the American League Central. Bellinger would be helpful to the Twins’ overall outfield depth and a difference-maker on offense:

It doesn't look like Byron Buxton is going to return to playing the outfield any time soon and Bellinger would offer a lot more offense than the Michael A. Taylor/Willi Castro combo the Twins have been using in center.

The other team would be a call-back to Bellinger’s past — the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That’s where Bellinger had his 2019 MVP season — and his past two awful seasons.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder for both parties? Maybe in comparison to the current outfield options in Los Angeles:

James Outman? He was great in April, but a whiff machine since. David Peralta? Serviceable, but he would be a nice bat off the bench. Jason Heyward? No, I can't believe he's been hitting either. Mookie Betts? Hey, he's been playing second base lately.

The Dodgers also have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball in order to make a deal.

In just a few days, we’ll know for sure what the Cubs will do.

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