Chicago Cubs Urged to Pull Off Trade with Cardinals for Elite Talent

There are very few rivalries in the wide world of sports that are more bitter than the one between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Over the years, these two teams have played some amazing classic games and there has been no love beween the teams or fans. That rivalry is just as fresh today as it has ever been.

Very few trades happen within a division in any sport. Between rivals, those trades are even more rare.

That being said, could the Cubs and Cardinals come together on a blockbuster trade ahead of the upcoming MLB trade deadline later this month?

John Buhler of FanSided has suggested a massive trade between the NL Central rivals.

In the trade proposal, Chicago would send star first baseman and outfielder Cody Bellinger and starting pitcher Jameson Taillon to St. Louis in exchange for talented outfielder Jordan Walker, left-hander Cooper Hjerpe, and infeidler Cesar Prieto.

Hjerpe is the Cardinals' No. 7 prospect, while Prieto is the No. 18 ranked prospect in the farm system.

Obviously, for the Cubs, being able to acquire Walker would be the prize of this trade. Giving up Bellinger and Taillon to St. Louis would be a tough pill to swallow. However, Walker would offer Chicago a potential superstar in the outfield.

Walker has only played in 20 games for the Cardinals this season. A bigger sample size of his talent can be seen from the 2023 season.

During the 2023 campaign, the 22-year-old outfielder played in 117 games, hitting .276/.342/.445 to go along with 16 home runs and 51 RBI.

While there is no guarantee that Walker will develop into the superstar outfielder that he has the potential to become, swinging big on his potential would be a wise move for the Cubs.

On the other side of the trade, St. Louis would instantly become a serious contender. Bellinger would give them a big-time bat that they need and Taillon would be a huge upgrade for their rotation.

From the outside looking in, this trade could be a win-win for both teams. Those are the kinds of trades that have to be made with each side winning in a trade between division rivals.

Even though it seems nearly impossible that this trade would happen, it's fun to think about. The MLB trade deadline is going to be crazy in a few weeks.