A Phillies-Cubs transaction that should never have happened to get an MVP
Former MVP Cody Bellinger may choose to sign with the Phillies at the trade deadline. Do they think they should add him?
In fewer than four weeks, on July 30, is the MLB trade deadline. Trade speculations have the Philadelphia Phillies looking to add another reliever and an outfielder. In the event that a long-term injury occurs before the deadline, the club will continue to prioritize improving the roster in this area.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report posted a piece regarding teams that might be interested in signing Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger. Chicago sits in last place in the NL Central with a record of 42–49. For the third NL Wild Card berth, they are 5.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals and 11.0 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Before the deadline, the Cubs are expected to be sellers.
Let’s examine the proposed deal between the Phillies and the Cubs in order to get Bellinger and the reasons Philly ought to pass on acquiring the former NL MVP.
A Phillies-Cubs transaction that should never have happened to acquire a former MVP
The Phillies are proposing to deal the two-time Silver Slugger Award-winning outfielder/first baseman to the Cubs in exchange for Eduardo Tait, the team’s eighth-ranked prospect. Long-term, neither club would benefit from the trade, even if Philadelphia would get an immediate improvement in the outfield.
Bellinger has an opt-out clause in his current contract that allows him to sign a larger contract with the Cubs or another team in the offseason. He is free to leave after the 2024 season if he is acquired by the Phillies. He has rebounded well after his problems with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2020 to 2022, as seen by his slash line of.270/.330/.417 and his.747 OPS in 76 games as of Sunday’s play.
Eduardo Tait may be the future catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.
With Tait still just four or five years away from being their future catcher, the Phillies are unlikely to re-sign Bellinger given the nucleus they currently have under contract until 2025. Instead, they would have lost a young, developing player.
Tait had 2023 success with the Phillies of the Dominican Summer League. This season, the 17-year-old plays with the FCL Phillies in the Florida Complex League, and he’s still got it. The native of Panama City has blasted his way to a.301/.368/.493 line in 40 games, along with five home runs, eleven doubles, and three steals.
Rymer states that Tait has a solid arm and projected to be a bat-first catcher. No. 20 Caleb Ricketts and No. 21 Kehden Hettiger are the other two catchers from Philadelphia listed in the Top 30 prospects rankings; nevertheless, the Tait is ranked higher and may be superior to both of them.
Prior to the March Spring Breakout exhibition game, Preston Mattingly, the Phillies’ associate general manager of player development, made some remarks about Tait.
Mattingly stated, “I think every Phillies fan should know about,” as reported by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Let’s start with his approach to work. He’s a really bright young man. He’s still a kid, which is why I call him that. He can perhaps land a hit-power combination. Naturally, finding offense at the catching position is quite challenging. We thus really admire a person like that who puts in a lot of effort, is intelligent, and has the potential to strike out frequently in order to gain power.
Moises Ballesteros, the No. 5 prospect, is a catcher-in-waiting for the Cubs; he is expected to join the main leagues in 2026. This season, he was already promoted from Double-A to Triple-A.
If getting another outfielder means giving up one of their best prospects, the Phillies don’t need to. There is enough quality on the big league roster, and they ought to think about bringing in an outfielder who won’t degrade their farm system in the process.
