Chicago Cubs Predicted To Trade Cody Bellinger to Mariners at Winter Meetings

The Chicago Cubs might have their best chance of offloading Cody Bellinger at this year's MLB Winter Meetings.

Sep 14, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger (24) hits a home run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Chet Strange-Imagn Images

The 2024 MLB Winter Meetings are underway right now and it could the Chicago Cubs' best chance to offload their unwanted star player.

It is no secret that the Cubs want to ship away Cody Bellinger and the expensive price tag he is carrying.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller predicts they will finally be able to do so by sending him to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are a solid team, but haven't been able to take that next step.

They want to improve their roster, but don't seem to like handing out long-term deals, so this could be a match made in heaven.

Bellinger is in a much better spot than he was at the end of his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he still isn't producing at a level that Chicago feels is worth the money.

The 29-year-old has dealt with some injury troubles for the past few seasons of his career. He was also much less productive in 2024 than he was the campaign before.

He posted a .266/.325/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 78 RBI. His OPS was up to .881 in 2023 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI.

While he hasn't been awful, it is clear to see why the Cubs don't want to pay him $27.5 million this season and potentially $25 million next year. He likely won't opt-in again, but that's what people said before he did a few weeks ago.

With Pete Crow-Armstrong taking over center field and other options emerging at first base and designated hitter, trading Bellinger would slash their payroll by a significant margin and open up at-bats for younger players.

Seattle is in a different spot where they could use whatever offense is made available to them.

Their designated hitter slot provided them just a .205/.299/.374 slash line in 2024.

Bellinger was already playing at an average defensive level last season. Moving him to a mostly-DH role could help keep him healthy and provide better results than they saw last year.

Given his large price tag, what Chicago can hope to get back for him will be a little bit less than ideal. They could potentially offer to pay some of his salary if they want a better return.

The Cubs have already made some additions to their starting rotation this offseason, so they will likely want either bullpen arms and/or slugging prospects in return for the former MVP.