Let’s put our thinking caps on.

The Phillies need more high-end talent to truly compete with a win-now team. The Cubs are seemingly ready to move on from from 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant due to a combination of rising salary, luxury tax concerns, long-term sustainability and the need to shake up a group that has fallen since winning it all.

Here’s a guess at what a potential blockbuster deal could look like.

Phillies receive: Bryant

Cubs receive: Alec Bohm, Zach Elfin, Jean Segura (with the Phillies paying down some of the contract), Rafael Marchan

Now let’s dive into why each side could be amicable to this kind of deal.

Why the Phillies would do it

Win now: Yes, Bohm is a top prospect. Yes, he could be a younger and cheaper version of Bryant within a few years. But the odds of that happening are low, and the Phillies haven’t set up a team for long-term sustainability. In 2020, Bryce Harper will be in his age-27 season. Zack Wheeler will be 30. Jake Arrieta and Andrew McCutchen will be 33 and 34, respectively. J.T. Realmuto will be 29. This isn’t a young group. Sacrificing Bohm is only logical to maximize a window to win.

Keep Bryant out of Atlanta or Washington: Here’s the nightmare scenario for the rest of this Phillies offseason: Josh Donaldson signs with either the Nationals or Braves, and Bryant is dealt to the other. The Phillies are currently behind both teams in the NL East pecking order, and can’t afford MVP-caliber bats to land with both lineups.

Bet on the track record: Bryant hasn’t been quite as good (127 OPS+, 5.5 WAR, negative defensive metrics) over the last two seasons as he was in his first three (141 OPS+, 19.1 WAR, plus defense at multiple spots). But at age 27, this is the kind of player to bet on, not shy away from.

Setting up the nucleus for years to come: If the deal went down, the Phillies could go forward with Harper, Bryant, Aaron Nola, Scott Kingery, Rhys Hoskins, Realmuto, Wheeler, and top pitching prospect Spencer Howard as the franchise’s core. All are 30-or-under.

Can fit under tax: This shouldn’t matter for a team attempting to truly compete for a World Series, but all indications point to it mattering a ton. Even if the Phillies picked up, say, $4M per season ($12M in total) on Segura’s deal (signed until 2022), the net cost (roughly $18.7 for Bryant for $13M combined for Segura and Eflin) would still leave wiggle room under the $208M tax threshold.

Why the Cubs would do it

Outstanding offers likely won’t be out there: It’s easy to think that Chicago could get a haul for a former MVP, but logic dictates otherwise. National insiders have been projecting deals for less than you might think or with salary dumps attached. Plus, Bryant’s numbers have slipped some, so we’re not talking about peak value for a suddenly-expensive player. And there’s always the specter of Scott Boras demanding a contract in excess of $200M within two years. The Phillies may be one of only a handful of serious suitors.

Tax relief: While the Phillies would be adding just under $6M on this year’s tax, the Cubs would be shedding that. For a team that’s reportedly actively looking to reset payroll issues, the deal provides relief.

Remain competitive, but gain upside: Bohm is the centerpiece here, and can be a big part of the Cubs future. Marchan gives Chicago a potential catcher of the future with a possible Willson Contreras deal looming. But for 2020, Segura (1.3 WAR) and Eflin (1.5 WAR) could come close to offsetting the value (3.6 WAR) that Bryant brought to the table last year in Chicago. With holes at second base (along with a need for more contact, less strikeouts in the lineup) and the back of the rotation (Eflin comes with a skill set close to Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, one of the bright pitching spots of the Theo Epstein regime), Chicago could be enticed into a move that placates the present and sets up the future.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.