Chicago Cubs Rumors: Teams circling with interest in Cody Bellinger

The Chicago Cubs have gotten the offensive comeback season from center fielder Cody Bellinger that the team was hoping for when they signed the veteran outfielder to a one-year deal last December.

Entering play on Sunday against the New York Yankees, Bellinger is slashing .298/.353/.493 on the season with a wRC+ of 125.

Bellinger is going to play a major factor in the second half of the season for the Cubs. The Cubs have yet to define what direction they will take at the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline and if the team decides to sell, teams are already circling with interest in the 2019 National League MVP.

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports that scouts are following the Cubs with anticipation of Bellinger being made available.

"Scouts with teams in contention who are currently following the Cubs are wondering if they’re wasting their time. Is this team selling? They’ll have to wait and see with the rest of us. But when they watch Bellinger they see a potential prize for a team in need of an outfield bat. They see a lefty who thrives on good timing, something he seems to have found in the past week."

Sahadev Sharma via The Athletic

The Cubs are currently six games under the .500 mark on the season and eight games out of first place in the National League Central. The difficult portion of the Cubs' schedule is over and the team could benefit from the first-place Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers having six games against each other before the August 1 deadline.

If the Reds and Brewers beating each other allows for the Cubs to get back into contention with a strong start to their second-half schedule, Bellinger will not go anywhere as he will be a pivotal piece of that success.

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