MLB Rumors: Red Sox-Montgomery trap, Cubs crosstown trade, Blake Snell update
- The Boston Red Sox are falling into a trap with Jordan Montgomery.
- The Chicago Cubs made a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
- The latest on Blake Snell and the New York Yankees
By Curt Bishop
MLB Rumors: Cubs trade with crosstown White Sox opens roster spot for Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger is officially back with the Chicago Cubs.
However, in order for the deal to become official, the North Siders needed to clear a 40-man roster spot to make room for the reigning National League Comeback Player of the Year.
And so, to do that, the Cubs shipped left-hander Bailey Horn to their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league right-hander Matt Thompson. Sahadev Sharma and Ken Rosenthal had the news first.
Sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me that the Cubs have traded LHP Bailey Horn to the White Sox for RHP Matt Thompson. Clears a spot on the 40-man for Cody Bellinger once his signing becomes official.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) February 27, 2024
Soon, the Bellinger deal should become official, which should give the Cubs a better chance to compete for the top spot in a weak NL Central division.
This was a rare swap between two cross-city rivals. The last major trade these two teams made was the deal that sent Jose Quintana to the North Siders. That deal also gave the White Sox Dylan Cease.
But trades between rivals are certainly rare. However, given the nature of this swap, it ultimately makes sense for the Cubs to pull this off.
Chicago won 83 games last season and finished nine games back of first place in the NL Central. However, they were just one game short of the third and final Wild Card spot.
The Cubs clearly intend to win in 2024, and bringing back Bellinger reinforces their goals of trying to contend and return to the postseason for the first time in four years.
Bellinger's three-year, $80 million deal should become official shortly.