Chicago Cubs Rumors: A trade is the likely fallback option to Cody Bellinger leaving

While the idea of bringing back Cody Bellinger on a long-term deal is likely at the top of the Chicago Cubs wish list this off-season, the team will face competition as the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants seem primed to offer Bellinger a lucrative contract.

The Cubs likely will have a ceiling for their offer to Bellinger and that is why it may be more likely that the former National League MVP will call somewhere else home for the 2024 season and beyond.

If the Cubs do not bring Bellinger back, it would seem unlikely that the team would turn to the free-agent market for alternatives. The Cubs will do their due diligence with regard to expressing interest in signing Shohei Ohtani but fans shouldn't expect the superstar to land in Chicago. Matt Chapman likely would be the next bat on the free agent market but with his offense showing significant signs of regression since May, the team would be wise to look elsewhere in order to address their offensive needs.

That would be the reason why Sahadev Sharma speculated in his latest for The Athletic that the Cubs' fallback option to not bringing Bellinger back likely would be a trade.

"If Cody Bellinger doesn’t return, the Cubs will have to figure out who should stay and who should go from this prospect group. Because the best way to find that “umbrella” for the lineup likely isn’t coming from free agency, it’s via trade."

The Athletic

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been the popular name on the rumor mill for the Cubs this off-season but the team should have their sights set on a more significant acquisition.

With the likelihood that the Cubs will be interested in San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto when he reaches free agency a year from now, there may be a need for the team to trade for Soto this off-season. The Padres have not ruled out the idea of trading Soto this winter and it is a situation that the Cubs are monitoring. Any team that trades for Soto this off-season likely would have a leg up if not an assurance that the outfielder would sign an extension and that is what may require the Cubs to make the deal this winter in order to land their target for next off-season.

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