Keeping Cody Bellinger wouldn't be catastrophic for the Chicago Cubs

While it seems a near certainty Cody Bellinger will soon be a former Cub, keeping him around wouldn't be the worst thing the Chicago Cubs could do. The Cubs are reportedly talking a Bellinger trade with the New York Yankees but money remains the issue. If the Cubs have to pay a substantial amount of Bellinger's salary, there's no point in moving him.

In addition, Bellinger has been linked to the Seattle Mariners as a possible boost to their lineup. In that scenario, Luis Castillo has been mentioned as a possible trade target. The salaries match up fairly well, and it would be trading a situation where both teams would be shoring up positions of need. If Bellinger is moved, Castillo would be a nice return. However, it seems like the Mariners may be more interested in Nico Hoerner. From the Cubs' perspective, that's not as clean of a fit.

Keeping Bellinger does have an upside

While Bellinger may be on another team by the time you read this, Jed Hoyer shouldn't feel compelled to pay a team a huge sum to take Bellinger. Bellinger is too good of a player to pay another team a big part of his salary to take him. While Cody had a down season last year, he wasn't abysmal. His versatility, defense, and speed give him a high floor.

In terms of just putting a team on the field, the Cubs are probably better with Bellinger at first rather than Michael Busch. Bellinger makes more contact, and despite Busch greatly improving his defense at first base, I still think Bellinger is better. Of course, that opens up the question of what to do with Busch. More on that in a little bit.

Questions about keeping Bellinger

The Cubs have farm hands knocking on the door. What needs to be done with them? Well, Owen Cassie is generally considered the second-best Cubs farmhand. He will be 22 in 2025. In a year or two the Cubs outfield logjam will thin out. Another year in AAA wouldn't be the worst thing for him. But what about Matt Shaw.?

Shaw is the top-rated Cubs farmhand and has played at shortstop, as well second and third base. At the moment, the Cubs have a gaping hole at third. Shaw may have a ticket to the Cubs' opening day lineup at third.

Though it's not optimal, Michael Busch has also played third base. If the Cubs choose to play Bellinger at first, Busch could be an option at third. If you think about it, the Cubs line up with Bellinger at first and Busch at third is pretty formidable.1: Ian Happ 2: Nico Hoerner 3: Kyle Tucker 4: Seiya Suzuki 5: Cody Bellinger 6: Michael Busch 7: Dansby Swanson 8: PCA 9: Carson Kelly

The bench has to better than last season

In the last two seasons, the Cubs' bench has been manned by players such as Nick Madrigal, Patrick Wisdom, and Miles Mastrobuoni. The Cubs have got to have a better bench going into 2025. Keeping Bellinger would add depth to a big-league roster that has lacked it. Keeping talent is not the worst problem for a team to have.