The former MVP is available for purchase on the Atlanta Braves Marketplace

This is a great opportunity for the Atlanta Braves to get offensive reinforcements. The Chicago Cubs are looking to trade outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger, according to Ken Rosenthal.

The Braves were already linked to Bellinger as they pursued his bat at the trade deadline back in July. Maybe they’ll dress him in an Atlanta uniform this time.

This will potentially be an expensive purchase, but it could be worth it depending on the deal. Bellinger will make $27.5 million in 2025 and has a player option worth $25 million in 2026.

If the Braves land the 2023 version of Bellinger, it would be worth taking on the entire salary. That season, the 2019 NL MVP slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs. However, the Bellinger we saw in 2024, while a valuable bat, may be worth the money. He slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs.

To compensate for the larger salary, the Braves could take advantage of the option of transferring fewer assets to the Cubs. On the other hand, they could use the same assets to incentivize the Cubs to keep some of Bellinger’s salary.

Top 30 prospects will be traded in any deal, no matter how much the salary changes. However, the salary range varied depending on the number of top prospects being traded – although, in reality, the difference likely comes down to whether one prospect or two are moved. How high the prospect’s rating is may also be a factor.

Whatever the case, to obtain his services, he will be a reliable addition for short-term and long-term reasons.

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return is questionable, except that he won’t be back in time for Opening Day. Bellinger has played a lot of games in right field in his career (182), so he should be able to move right into the game.

Long term, the Braves don’t really have the best options in left field. Bellinger didn’t play many games in left field, only 41 in his career.

Jared Kelenic feels like a failed experiment, and there’s no guarantee that Ramon Laureano — assuming he’s offered at Friday’s deadline — will perform as well as he showed with the Braves in 2024. has a much stronger track record of late. If they decide not to offer Laureano, it would open up the possibility of additional salary for Bellinger. Spotrac estimates Laureano will make about $6.37 million next season.

Overall, the Braves simply don’t have as much depth in the outfield as they do in starting pitching, for example. Eli White is a great player, but not a starter. Luke Williams more so. Yes, he primarily plays in the infield, but he also sees a decent amount of playing time in the outfield. So here’s what’s worth mentioning in this case. He’s great for a late-game or rushing role, but he’s not a starter.

Also worth mentioning is an important Bellinger statistic: his stats in Atlanta. Considering he will play 81 games in this stadium, these numbers are worth noting.

He has a small sample size at Truist Park (22 games), but he has solid numbers. In those 22 games, he slashed .287/.347/.448 with four home runs and nine RBIs. That equates to about 14 home runs and 33 RBIs in 81 home games. That’s just five fewer home runs than Marcel Ozuna had at home last season and four fewer RBIs than Matt Olson had at home last season.

Knowing he played well in Atlanta is further incentive for the Braves to pursue him.

So if they’re going to take the plunge and make a blockbuster deal, it could be a worthy move.