3 likely trade destinations for Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger

#3: Cleveland Guardians

Although they're far from the contender that the Yankees and Astros are, the Guardians are still very much in the mix for their division. The thing that they really need to elevate themselves, however, is a little more thump in that lineup. As a team, they're currently hitting for 91 wRC+ and little of that is coming from their outfield setup. That's where the Cubs and Bellinger could come in with a lefty bat that could help elevate the team past the division-leading Twins.

Cleveland also boasts a solid farm system with plenty of choices for controllable players to pick from. Again, the Carter Hawkins connection may come in handy as they look to get the most value even if some of its best pieces have since made the jump to the majors like Bo Naylor and Gabriel Arias. Even the names outside of the top ten like slugger Jhonkensy Noel or lefty outfielder Petey Halpin could be valuable pick-ups as part of a deal.

Keep in mind, as a rental, Bellinger isn't likely to bring some insane prospect package back to the Cubs on his own. Whatever the team does get, however, will be better than letting him walk in free agency for nothing. Ideally, an extension would be in order to keep Bellinger around for the long term, but that simply doesn't seem likely at this juncture given the team's place in the standings and all other factors at play.