Chicago Cubs who must be on trade block ahead of 2024 deadline as their pitcher set to exit amid Phillies trade link
The 2024 season is turning into an unmitigated disaster for the Chicago Cubs. After a 17-9 start, they’ve been one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball since early May, plummeting to 38-45, dead last in the National League Central.
Coming into the season, the Cubs had grand plans to achieve postseason glory. They signed Craig Counsell away from the rival Milwaukee Brewers and made him the highest-paid manager in MLB history. But now, year one of the Counsell tenure is looking like a tremendous setback.
The Cubs only have a few weeks left to save their season, or they’ll be forced to sell at the trade deadline. And since the losses still seem to be stacking up by the minute, it’s worth taking a look at some of the players Chicago will have to offer in the event they do sell. Here are the players other teams should be keeping an eye on as the deadline approaches.
When the Cubs re-signed Cody Bellinger on a three-year contract this past offseason, they certainly weren’t doing so with the intention of flipping him for prospects at the deadline. But we’ve officially arrived at the point where selling is in the cards, and Bellinger’s ability to opt out at the end of the season makes him much more expendable from Chicago’s perspective.
Bellinger isn’t having anything close to his 2019 MVP season, or even his 2023 rebound with the Cubs. But he’s also not having a bad season, and with a pedigree like his, you’re still bound to attract numerous suitors. His .748 OPS and 113 OPS+ are plenty attractive to a team looking for help, especially with his ability to play multiple positions.
There are lots of teams that could step up as potential trade partners. The New York Yankees have been connected to Bellinger numerous times in the past. The Philadelphia Phillies desperately need a center fielder. And the Seattle Mariners just need offense. Heck, throw the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros in the mix too.
Is Kyle Hendricks the pitcher he once was? Of course not, but the last remaining vestige of the 2016 World Series team has proven of late that he still has some game. He threw seven strong innings in his last outing and has a 1.27 ERA in his last 21.1 innings pitched.
Having just hit 10 years of MLB service time, all with the Cubs, it might be strange for Hendricks to don another uniform. Strange for Cubs fans, who have already seen Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo traded away, and stranger for Hendricks, who has only ever called the north side of Chicago home.
But with all that said, Hendricks’ contract is up at the end of the season, and at 34, he’s approaching a stage of his career where every year is a precious opportunity. If Chicago isn’t going to compete for a title, Hendricks needs to get himself to a contender.
