Control what you can control.
Wise words from Cody Bellinger, whose name has been eaten up in the rumor mill as the MLB trade deadline approaches.
After hitting a two-run shot in the third inning on Friday to help lift the Cubs to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, he was rightfully asked about the trade deadline.
Has the front office been communicative about their plans for the future?
"We're a very open communication group here," Bellinger said after Friday's game. "I'm in the loop on what could happen, what couldn't happen. I just like to focus on what I can control."
Bellinger's name has been tossed around the trade deadline for a long while.
The Cubs signed him this past offseason to a "prove it" contract; a one-year deal worth around $17 million. After winning the MVP award in 2019, his game fell off, earning him the reputation as a risky player after multiple injury-filled seasons and an evidential lack of success.
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He failed to play over 100 games for the subsequent two seasons after 2019. And when he played 144 games in 2022 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit .210 from the plate.
Fear no longer. He's rejuvenated his career with the Cubs, replicating his 2019 form.
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Bellinger is hitting .447 over his last 20 games, tacking on six home runs and 15 RBIs along with it in that time frame. His lefty bat has uplifted the Cubs this season, a paramount faction of their offense.
How does he block out the external noise as the trade deadline rolls around?
"Just understanding the reality of the game," Bellinger said. "With that being said, a lot of it is out of my control. For me, I'm just trying to focus on the game."
Bellinger holds high value in the trade market, should the Cubs decide to sell his services at the trade deadline.
His plate performance speaks for itself and his left-handed bat diversifies any lineup he joins. He's constantly praised for his leadership in the locker room, too.
"He's unbelievable, first off," Justin Steele said Friday. "Great teammate. Great human being. Great friend. I feel like he's friends with everybody in the clubhouse. He brings great energy to the clubhouse every single day.
"I feel like everybody in the clubhouse would say he's amazing."
