Why "obvious seller" Cubs could trade pair of All-Star outfielders

It's hard to find the right word to describe the 2024 season the Chicago Cubs have had so far. "Miserable" would be a start. But that runs the risk of downplaying the disappointment.

Though they entered play Saturday on a two-game winning streak, the Cubs have been the worst team in the National League since early May. They've lost 37 of their last 61 games to fall to last place, six games out of a playoff spot even in a mediocre Wild Card race.

With the season going so poorly, the Cubs, who had grand plans to compete for a division title in 2024, may be forced to do the unthinkable.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly declared Friday that the Cubs were "obvious sellers" at the 2024 trade deadline.

"The Cubs could play their way out of being a seller, and potentially even add," Kelly said. "But even in one of the weaker NL playoff pictures ever, the Cubs don't look like a team that's built for October."

Selling would be a huge step back for the Cubs organization, especially given the record-setting $40 million contract they handed Craig Counsell to be their manager. But this is shaping up to be a lopsided trade deadline, with sellers potentially getting massive value for their players.

And if the Cubs do end up selling, Kelly also offered that there could be some marquee players on the move. He specifically mentioned outfielders Cody Bellinger and Ian Happ as potential Cubs that could be wearing different uniforms by July 31.

Bellinger, 28, may be the more likely of the two to be moved. His newly signed contract includes opt-outs after both 2024 and 2025, and the former NL MVP obviously still has lots of tread left on the tires.

Happ, 29, is having the better season of the two. He's been on fire at the plate, posting a 1.036 OPS in his last 39 games. Plus, the two-time Gold Glove winner can offer contenders a huge defensive upgrade in left field.

Happ, however, has two years remaining on the extension he signed with the Cubs in 2023. Trading him would be an admission that the current core roster in Chicago isn't working out. But with a surplus of outfielders in the prospect pipeline, it might be a way to strengthen other parts of the roster.

We likely won't know the answer until the final few days before the deadline, and Chicago still has a few series to play themselves out of last place. But the Cubs are certainly teetering on the edge, and Bellinger and Happ could shake up the playoff race depending on their destinations.

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