Cubs could have grabbed this insane prospect from the Yankees in a Cody Bellinger trade

After turning in an otherworldly month of July, Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger was one of the most sought-after position players leading up to the trade deadline. But after Chicago ran off a lengthy winning streak and went from sellers to buyers, the front office pulled the former MVP off the block and, instead, added Jeimer Candelario to shore up the corner infield picture.

But one of the teams that expressed intense interest in Bellinger prior to that was the New York Yankees, a club with a deeply flawed roster in need of some win-now moves (which they wound up not making). The possible return had Bellinger headed to the Bronx? The Yankees' #1 overall prospect and MLB Pipeline's #40-ranked Jasson Dominguez.

"They were all in on Cody Bellinger, until he came off the market. From what I understand … they have a really good prospect, Jasson Dominguez, I think he may have even been thrown in a deal. "

Jesse Rogers, ESPN

According to Rogers, New York badly wanted (and, again, needed) a major shot in the arm - especially considering the current postseason picture. Despite a decent 55-52 record, Fangraphs pegs the Yankees' chances at October baseball at 17.8 percent as of Wednesday afternoon. That checks out given they're in last place in the loaded AL East.

Cubs, Yankees made a ton of sense as a Cody Bellinger trade match

But with guys like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole on high-dollar, long-term deals, Brian Cashman needs to be putting a postseason-caliber club on the field year-in and year-out. This is a deeply flawed, aging roster - and the youth they've attempted to inject into the roster has largely underperformed, as well.

Instead of going all-in or maybe punting on 2023 in hopes of regaining their footing ahead of next year, the Yankees largely treaded water. It's not their fault the Cubs took Bellinger off the block, but the fact they would have reportedly entertained trading a prospect as hyped as Dominguez reeks of sheer desperation, to the point it's hard to believe it was an actual consideration.

Either way, the Cubs and Bellinger will finish out their one-year pact together and, hopefully, Chicago will be a leading suitor for his services when he hits free agency this offseason. The fit is perfect in just about every way imaginable and the dollars are there. Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to loom over baseball in the Big Apple.