The Chicago Cubs could have a brand new buyer at their doorstep: the Houston Astros.
The 39-48 Cubs entered Thursday with the third-worst record in the National League. Only five teams have a worse record than Chicago in all of Major League Baseball.
The most willful optimist would point out that the Cubs are only six games back in the NL Wild Card race, but on the whole, Chicago's season has been disastrous.
Injuries and lack of production are two diseases that have afflicted most of the Cubs roster this year.
One of the few Cubs that has evaded both (for the most part) is Cody Bellinger, who in 79 games played this season is slashing .274, 15 points higher than his career batting average.
Chicago could use more slug from Bellinger (.427 slugging percentage at present), but he's starting to hit the ball with more force lately, as was illustrated by two frozen ropes against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, including one for an RBI double. He was hitting .310 in his last 22 games entering Wednesday.
Bellinger is getting hot as July commences, which is oddly a trend in his career with the Cubs.
In 27 career games with Chicago in July, Bellinger is hitting .404 with 14 extra base hits, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.127, the latter of which leads all Cubs players since 1906.
With Bellinger at the start of a hot streak, buyers like the Phillies and New York Yankees are hoping to swoop in at the perfect time and benefit from his rising production.
The Astros have now also emerged as a potential landing spot for Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP.
Appearing on MLB Network on Wednesday, MLB insider Steve Phillips reported that Houston is among the best fits for Bellinger.
"Whoever gets him is going to probably get him at just the right time," Phillips said. "You look at the Houston Astros. They could put him at first base. Think about him in that lineup there."
Phillips also listed the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners as potential best fits for Bellinger.
Chicago president Jed Hoyer is guaranteed to receive plenty of calls about Bellinger between now and July 30. What exactly Hoyer is going to do with Bellinger is anyone's guess.
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