MLB Rumors: Paul Goldschmidt trade, Cubs’ Bellinger threats, Reds trade expected

MLB Rumors: Paul Goldschmidt trade, Cubs’ Bellinger threats, Reds trade expected

MLB Rumors: Reds expected to trade from glut of infielders

The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the more active teams around the league this offseason, and made one of the more curious signings of all, bringing in Jeimer Candelario on a three-year deal. What’s surprising isn’t the fact that Candelario got a multi-year deal, he deserved it after a terrific 2023 campaign. The Reds being the team to sign him is what was a surprise.

Cincinnati already had tremendous infield depth before signing Candelario. Players like Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Jonathan India, Matt McLain, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are all infielders. There are only four spots. Trading one of them to acquire help either in the outfield or in the starting rotation makes a whole lot of sense.

Teams around the league seem to agree, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said in his latest piece that “Rival teams believe the Cincinnati Reds will trade an infielder before spring training with their influx of infielders on the roster.” He doesn’t say what they’d be targeting, but Cincinnati has been a team linked to starting pitchers like Dylan Cease and Shane Bieber who are reportedly available on the open market.

The infielder most likely to be traded would be Jonathan India who has been a constant in trade rumors since the trade deadline. India has been a productive middle infielder for Cincinnati in his three-year career, and definitely has a good amount of value thanks to his three additional years of team control.

MLB Rumors: Two potential threats to steal Cody Bellinger from the Cubs

With Shohei Ohtani off the board, Cody Bellinger is clearly the best position player left on the market. You wouldn’t know it based on the lack of rumored interest around the league, but that is indeed the case.

The Chicago Cubs have been the favorites to re-sign Bellinger for much of the offseason as they’d be virtually guaranteeing having a worse lineup if they let him go, but the Cubs’ reluctance to match Bellinger’s price demands has left the door open for other teams to potentially steal him away.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale makes it seem like the Cubs remain the favorites, but says “If Cody Bellinger does not wind up back with the Chicago Cubs, the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are lurking.” Those two teams seem unlikely to match Bellinger’s hefty demands either, but with them needing offense, the connection to Bellinger certainly makes sense.

The Toronto Blue Jays were one of the Bellinger favorites earlier this offseason, especially after missing out on Ohtani, but after re-signing Kevin Kiermaier the fit was certainly not as clean. Toronto has a complete outfield and would not benefit as much from Bellinger’s outstanding glove by sticking him at first base or DH.

The Seattle Mariners make more sense than the Blue Jays fit-wise with them needing more offense and having room in their outfield, but who knows how much money Seattle would realistically spend? The Mariners traded key players like Eugenio Suarez, Jarred Kelenic, and Robbie Ray as part of salary dumps. It’s possible they did that to save money for a player like Bellinger, but it’s certainly more likely that they did that for the sole purpose of shaving some payroll.

The Cubs should still be looked at as the favorites for Bellinger but he does appear to have fallback options if the Cubs are unwilling to pony up financially.

MLB Rumors: Paul Goldschmidt trade back on table if things go wrong

The St. Louis Cardinals shockingly being one of baseball’s worst teams in 2023 led to some serious rumors surrounding the futures of some of their best players. We’ve seen rumors surrounding players like Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman for years now, but we heard names like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt pop up around the trade deadline. Those two cornerstones remained in St. Louis, but Goldschmidt’s future with the RedBirds seems to be in question.

The 36-year-old was having a bit of a down year at the time but his lack of team control made him a realistic trade candidate. Goldschmidt is set to hit free agency at the end of this season. While it feels unlikely that the Cardinals trade him this offseason, talks can absolutely resurface if things go wrong.

When asked about a potential Goldschmidt extension, Cardinals GM John Mozeilak seemed to be very non-committal, saying that’s something they could look at once the season begins. If the Cardinals (and Goldschmidt) get off to a good start, extension talks might resurface. However, if the team (and Goldschmidt) struggle again, a trade becomes more and more realistic.

There’s little reason to believe Goldschmidt, a future Hall of Famer who has not been to or won a World Series in his 12-year career, will want to stay on a team that is not a contender. The Cardinals could trade him around the deadline and get solid assets in return rather than risk losing their star for nothing.

A Goldschmidt trade for now won’t happen, but it looks like extension talks are off the table too. The way this goes depends entirely on how the Cardinals and Goldschmidt perform. If things go well, he could finish his career in a Cardinals uniform. That’s what everyone is rooting for. If things go south, a summer of Paul Goldschmidt trade rumors could be on the horizon.