Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger is available for trade this winter. Bellinger is coming off a down season, in which he had an OPS of just .751, which is just above league average. That would be fine if it matched up to Bellinger's contract, but that's not the case. Bellinger opted into the second year of his deal, and he'll make $27.5 million next season as a result. The same can be said for next winter if Belli chooses to stay on his current deal.
So, the Cubs have a problem. Was Bellinger's 2023 season, when he finished top-10 in NL MVP voting and won a silver slugger, an outlier or the new norm? Jed Hoyer is betting on the former, which is why he's willing to trade Bellinger to a team in need of corner outfield help. Recently, the Yankees, Mariners and Astros have expressed some interest, though there is some conflict in the third of those teams. Bellinger and Houston go way back, and not in a good way.
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While he was still a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, Bellinger spoke out about the punishment the Astros received for stealing signs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Of course, Bellinger's Dodgers lost to the Astros, who were apparently cheating.
"I thought the apologies were whatever," Bellinger said at the time, per ESPN. "I thought [Astros owner] Jim Crane's was weak. I thought [Rob] Manfred's punishment was weak, giving [the players] immunity. Those guys were cheating for three years. I think what people don't realize is [José] Altuve stole an MVP from [Aaron] Judge in '17. Everyone knows they stole the ring from us. But it's over."
That comment has come back to haunt the Cubs (and possibly Bellinger if he hoped to play for a contender), as the Astros are hesitant about trading for him.
Bellinger would be an ideal fit to replace Kyle Tucker, who Houston is shopping to teams like the Yankees and, ironically enough, the Cubs. Tucker is the better player of the two, but Bellinger would save Houston money long term, and allow them to invest elsewhere.
