The Chicago Cubs are receiving plenty of calls right now, and the Kansas City Royals could be the latest team on the other end of the line.
Whether or not Chicago's president Jed Hoyer shares the vision, practically all of Major League Baseball views the Cubs as sellers. Chicago's most available players are reportedly Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, and Jameson Taillon.
With Bellinger attracting a myriad of suitors including the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, his future in a Cubs uniform is growing more questionable by the day.
One sleeper buyer that might swoop in and snag Bellinger away from more blue-chip franchises is the Kansas City Royals.
Just Baseball's Tim Kelly reported on Tuesday that Bellinger would be an ideal pickup for Kansas City if they are willing to work on a deal.
The only detail about Bellinger that might cause the Royals to hesitate is Bellinger's ability to opt into the final two years of his hefty contract. At the same time, it's hard to imagine that Kansas City is not deeply considering a Bellinger acquisition, given his capacity in the outfield and at first base fitting like a glove with the Royals' current needs.
"Would Royals ownership authorize general manager J.J. Picollo to make a trade like this, knowing that if Bellinger doesn’t opt out after this year, there’s a chance they could be left to pay him $52.5 million over the next two seasons?" Kelly said.
"That’s unclear, particularly if the Cubs aren’t willing to foot any of the bill. What is clear, though, is that the three primary outfielders for the Royals — Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Isbel and MJ Melendez — are all under .700 in terms of OPS. With Bellinger able to play all three outfield spots and shift to first base on days that Vinnie Pasquantino is at DH, there’s definitely an immediate baseball fit here. ... Perhaps the Royals should strike while the iron is hot, and trading for Bellinger would be doing that."
Kansas City landing Bellinger would be a mildly surprising turn of events. Bellinger's final destination in 2024 will come down to what Hoyer deems to be the most profitable offer placed on his desk, that is if he decides to sell Bellinger at all.
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