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It seemed like Cody Bellinger was heading back to the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season when he exercised his player option in November.
Chicago reportedly traded the veteran to the New York Yankees on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
Jeff Passan @JeffPassan
Of the $5 million the Cubs are sending to the Yankees in the Cody Bellinger trade, $2.5 million will cover his 2025 salary, per source. The remaining $2.5 million will either cover the buyout if he doesn’t exercise his player option for 2026 or Bellinger’s 2026 salary if he does.
Jack Curry of YES added more context:
JackCurryYES @JackCurryYES
The Yankees get Bellinger for Poteet and they also get $5 million in cash from the Cubs. Passan with the news https://t.co/wlUo7jGreW
JackCurryYES @JackCurryYES
Since the Yankees were willing to take on the bulk of Bellinger’s salary, they weren’t going to trade a top prospect to the Cubs. Instead, they part with Poteet. Plus, the Cubs kicked in $5M. A smart and necessary move for the Yankees as they put together their 2025 lineup.
According to Jim Bowden of CBS Sports, Bellinger will play center field and Aaron Judge will move to right field.
While it isn’t surprising the Cubs decided to trade Bellinger given the rumors circulating this offseason, there were plenty of suggestions doing so would not be easy.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported in November, “While rival executives say the [Cubs] want to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, they also note the difficulty the team likely will face pulling off such a move.”
Rosenthal explained that Bellinger “secured a remaining guarantee of $32.5 million—$27.5 million in salary, $5 million in potential buyout—by choosing to remain with the Cubs rather than opt out.”
What’s more, he also has a $25 million player option for 2026 he can opt into, making the contract even more expensive.
“Come on,” a general manager told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in November. “Who’s going to touch that contract? The risk is just too great for the production.”
Nightengale painted a picture of a Cubs team that was overly concerned with its financials as the front office looked to trade Bellinger instead of attempting to negotiate with marquee free agents such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried or Blake Snell.
That was surely frustrating to Chicago fans considering Forbes ranked the franchise as the fourth-most valuable in the entire league for 2024. Yet it seemed like keeping payroll in check was a priority even after missing the playoffs last season.
However, that tone changed some when they acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros via trade earlier this month. Suddenly, there wasn’t an obvious fit for Bellinger in the lineup with Tucker, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki as the outfielders/designated hitter and Michael Busch at first base.
That likely increased the front office’s motivation to move Bellinger even more.
While his overall production may not live up to the contract, Bellinger is still a talented player who should be a formidable addition for the Yankees.
His versatility on defense stands out, as he played first base, center field and right field for Chicago during the 2024 campaign. That allows him to remain in various lineups even when managers look to mix-and-match based on opponents.
There was also a time when Bellinger was among the best offensive players in the league, as he took home the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP during his time on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a drastic downturn from 2020 through 2022, he also bounced back nicely in his first season with the Cubs in 2023.
Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases as a Silver Slugger winner in 2023.
He was not as effective last year at .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, 78 RBI and nine stolen bases, but he still proved he can impact the game in a number of ways and serve as a solid piece in the lineup.
Yet the Cubs decided to trade that production away, so Bellinger will look to revitalize his career once again for a New York team that will be looking for a combination of players to help make up for the lost production of Juan Soto.
