Chicago Cubs Rumors: Trade may be close as roster spot opens for Cody Bellinger

The Chicago Cubs are expected to officially announce the signing of outfielder Cody Bellinger to a three-year contract on Tuesday after the two sides agreed to terms over the weekend.

The Cubs currently have a 40-man roster so before Bellinger's deal is officially announced by the team, there would need to be a corresponding roster move. The recent signing of Garrett Cooper to a minor-league deal seemed to suggest that a trade of Patrick Wisdom may be near but Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (Subscription Required) has heard otherwise.

In a reset of where things stand with the Cubs, Sharma mentions that it most likely will be a pitcher that is moved in order to clear a roster space for Bellinger. The sense from Sharma's reporting was that the Cubs were eyeing a trade of a pitcher on their 40-man roster.

There are two thoughts that should immediately come to mind.

Keep an eye on the Boston Red Sox as the trading partner with the Cubs. It's likely that Craig Breslow, now in charge of the Red Sox's baseball operations, has his eye on a pitcher or two from the Cubs considering his previous role as the team's pitching director.

Cody Bellinger's contract with the Chicago Cubs becoming official could lead to a trade of a once promising pitcher.

The Cubs are not short of pitching depth, so it would make sense that the team is more inclined to move a pitcher off the 40-man roster as opposed to a position player at this point in Spring Training. To that end, Keegan Thompson may be the pitcher in question.

Thompson showed promise during the 2022 season while serving as the ace out of the Cubs' bullpen but experienced regression in 2023. Entering the 2024 season, Thompson is not a factor on the Cubs' pitching staff and it wouldn't be a surprise if Breslow, or another team for that matter, has an eye on the 28-year-old as a potential reclamation project.

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