The National League Wild Card picture is a complete mess, thanks in no small part to the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.
In year one of Craig Counsell's managerial tenure with Chicago, the Cubs have underwhelmed, playing the worst baseball in the NL in the month of June. However, they've also won four of their last five, and are no longer in last place in the Central division.
The Giants, meanwhile, are barely any better. They spent over $300 million in the offseason and still can't break the .500 barrier. But they clearly intend to make a playoff push, and if there's any indication the Cubs will be sellers, the Giants may be the ones to pounce.
So although the Giants (45-48) are only one game ahead of the Cubs (44-49) in the Wild Card race, the two teams have reportedly been mulling a potential blockbuster.
In his report on where all 30 teams stand heading into the All-Star break, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the Giants and Cubs had been in contact about a potential Cody Bellinger trade.
Bowden also said the Giants had been linked to the Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. and the Miami Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Bellinger, 28, is having a league-average offensive season, which hurts his trade value. Adding to the complication, Bellinger took a fastball to the hand in Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, leaving his injury status up in the air while waiting for test results.
However, Bellinger is also a former NL MVP, and if he's not headed to the injured list, he's still a very plausible trade candidate. He can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and if he has a good second half, the Cubs could lose him for nothing in return.
The Cubs have a lot of information to gather over the next two weeks and some huge decisions to make. Whether Bellinger is healthy or not, the best way to ensure they don't sell him off is to keep winning. But that has been easier said than done for Chicago all season.
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