is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about of the offseason. Earlier this month, reported that the Cubs were determined to trade one of Bellinger or . added further detail to that story today, noting that the team would prefer to part with Bellinger. Dealing Suzuki doesnt seem like anything more than a backup plan in case no Bellinger trade comes together. Sharma goes on to mention that there seems to be real interest in Bellinger on the trade market, thus pouring cold water on the po sibility of a Suzuki deal (at least for now). Indeed, Bellinger has already been linked to the , , this winter, and Sharma suggests that the market for Bellinger could heat up now that has . It seems the Cubs have been shopping Bellinger as a second choice for teams that mi sed out on the lefty Josh Donaldson Jersey -batting superstar. Bellinger is no Soto, but he can provide above-average offense from the same side of the plate and a much better glove in the outfield. He may not be a perennial MVP contender, but he does have superstar upside, even if his 2019 MVP season is getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. As for Suzuki, its not hard to understand why the Cubs would prefer to hold onto the righty bat. He is set to make $19MM in each of the next two seasons, while Bellinger will make $27.5MM in 2025 and has a player option for $25MM in 2026. Trading Bellinger would free up more payroll space for the coming season and would free the Cubs of his player option; as the name suggests, player options are inherently player-friendly. Furthermore, Suzuki is coming off a stronger season than Bellinger. While Bellinger is a better defender and baserunner, Suzuki is a more reliable middle-of-the-order bat. Bellingers offense has been much le s stable in recent years. Thus, Suzuki looks like a bargain at $19MM per year, while Bellinger presumably would have opted out of his contract this winter if he thought he could do better on the open market. For all of those same reasons, Suzukis trade market would probably be more robust than Bellingers. However, it doesnt seem as if the Cubs are nece sarily trying to maximize their return. Rather, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer might simply need to create more payroll flexibility to addre s areas of greater need on the roster. After all, the Cubs have no shortage of outfield and/or designated hitter types in the organization. That includes center fielder , left-fielder , and top prospects , , and . What the Cubs could use more of is pitching. After , they reportedly remain interested in adding another starter (per ). Over the past few days, the club has been to free agent and and . As much as they could use another arm, however, the Cubs might not be willing to pay for another starter without first removing some money from the books. On a related note, Sharma says Chicago has also shown some interest in but only if his price tag is low enough. In theory, the Cubs should be able to sign a top-end starting pitcher like Flaherty without trading Bellinger or Suzuki. Their estimated 2025 payroll currently sits around $185MM, according to . Thats $43MM lower than last seasons final estimate. Theyre also about $40MM under the first luxury tax threshold, which should give them plenty of wiggle room even if theyd like to get back under the tax in 2025. However, Chicagos eagerne s to shop Bellinger and reluctance to court Flaherty certainly suggest that Hoyer is working under payroll constraints as he looks to get the Cubs back to the playoffs for the first time in his tenure as president of baseball operations. Aaron Civale Jersey