The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot on their plate before they can become legit contenders for the World Series again, and none seems bigger than addressing the offensive black hole that has been center field.
Tons of speculation has surrounded the Phillies pursuing different center fielders since the start of last season, but one name that keeps coming up is Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger.
He is a former MVP who has struggled at times throughout the year, but provides a very high ceiling offensively while being solid on defense.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield came up with a wild three-team trade idea that featured the Cubs and Seattle Mariners that would finally see Philadelphia bring him in.
The trade would have the Phillies end up with Bellinger while sending third baseman Alec Bohm to the Mariners. Seattle would also add second baseman Nico Hoerner. Chicago would bring in right-handed Luis Castillo and catching prospect Harry Ford.
On paper, it looks like the rare three-team deal that would leave everyone happy.
Saying goodbye to Bohm would be a hard pill for Philadelphia to swallow, but seems like a move that they are ready to make.
The third baseman is coming off of his first ever All-Star campaign where he posted a .280/.332/.448 slash line with 15 home runs and 97 RBI.
He led the team in doubles and finished second in RBI, so they would need to bring someone in to replace his production.
The issue is that he slowed down to a hault in August and continured to struggle in the postseason.
For the most part, the Phillies can supplement the loss at third base, but they cannot, however, let center field be as unproductive as it was last year.
The players who took at-bats there produced a combined .243/.291/.353 slash line with nine home runs and 60 RBI.
Bellinger is making a lot of money for what the Cubs need him for at $27.5 million, but for this Philadelphia team willing to do whatever it takes to win a ring at this point, they can stomach paying him that much money if he can deliver results.
The 29-year-old’s career has started to turn around in Chicago.
He has posted a .286/.340/.475 slash line over the last two seasons with an average of 22 home runs and 88 RBI.
If he could provide that to the Phillies, it would be a massive boost to an already dangerous lineup.