Diamondbacks blockbuster trade for former NL MVP would alter Wild Card race

No one knows for sure if the Arizona Diamondbacks are buying or selling this week, but as buyers, the Diamondbacks are looking for a bat.

Arizona is only one game back of the third spot in the National League Wild Card race. As the Diamondbacks monitor potential hitters to acquire, they are reportedly eyeing a former NL MVP who plays for the Chicago Cubs.

On Monday, The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Aaron Gleeman ranked Chicago’s Cody Bellinger No. 18 among players who are most likely to be traded before July 30, listing Arizona as one of the top three potential landing spots for Bellinger.

“One of the sport’s toughest evaluations is thus one of its toughest trade targets: Which version of Cody Bellinger do you most believe in?” Britton and Gleeman said. “How healthy will he be following a broken finger? Just how many games of Bellinger might you be trading for? All those factors, combined with the Cubs’ still-beating chances in the NL, conspire against a deal involving the one-time MVP. Desperate teams, however, have made crazier moves. Potential landing spots: Diamondbacks, (Atlanta) Braves, and (Seattle) Mariners.”

A Bellinger trade to Arizona would have immediate ramifications in the playoff race, as the Diamondbacks and Cubs are currently squeezed next to each other in the Wild Card standings.

Whether a deal gets done will ultimately depend on how each club envisions its buyer’s status in the final hours leading up to the deadline.

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