Jed Hoyer has big plans for the Chicago Cubs this winter, and that all starts with the MLB Winter Meetings. The Cubs are looking to trade an outfielder and shed some salary in the process. The hope, at least among the fanbase, is that Chicago can use that money on areas of need, like the starting rotation and bullpen.
Cody Bellinger has been floated in trade rumors since late November. As talented as Bellinger is at his best – he's a former NL MVP after all – he is coming off a subpar season and there is skepticism among the Cubs front office and rival GMs that he can replicate his 2023 season, in which he had an .881 OPS and 4.4 WAR. Bellinger isn't the player he once was, and the Cubs know it.
Because of that simple fact, Bellinger opted in to the next year on his deal. He does have an opt-out in 2025, but should he struggle again, Bellinger's contract will look like an albatross as soon as next winter.
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Chicago would be fine trading one of Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki. Unfortunately for them, Suzuki has a no-trade clause, and it doesn't sound like he's willing to use it unless the Cubs trade him to a contender. That'll be easier said and done. Jesse Rogers made that blatantly obvious in a report on Tuesday from the winter meetings.
"Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki's agent, Joel Wolfe, said Jed Hoyer informed him just last night which teams are interested in him. (He has a full no-trade clause). Wolfe also made it pretty clear Suzuki does not want to be a DH which is where he finished last season: 'It's a small universe where Seiya would consider going,'" Rogers wrote on X.
Suzuki is signed through the 2026 season, and has struggled to adapt defensively. The Cubs would be open to moving him to DH, but it doesn't sound like Suzuki is enthused about that proposition, which limits Chicago immensely.
What is best for the Cubs may not be best for Suzuki, which means their best path forward is trading Bellinger, if Hoyer can pull it off. However, that might be a tough sell to a fanbase hungry for a winner.
