Former Los Angeles Dodgers fan favorite and MVP Cody Bellinger is being traded to the New York Yankees from the Chicago Cubs, per multiple reports.
A trade that has made sense for a long time has finally come to fruition.
Bellinger is heading to the Yankees for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet. Chicago is also sending New York $5 million in the deal.
This deal has been in the works all offseason, but especially over the last few days after the Cubs acquired outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The Cubs didn’t have room for Bellinger anymore, and more so, wanted to get off of his contract.
Bellinger is due $52.5 million over the next two seasons. The Yankees will get a little relief with the $5 million coming from Chicago.
Bellinger, 29, was initially drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He debuted with L.A. in 2017, bursting onto the scene with 39 home runs and 97 RBIs en route to a Rookie of the Year award win.
Bellinger continued his ascent in 2018 before hitting his peak in 2019, when he hit 47 home runs, drove in 115 RBIs, and had a 1.035 OPS as he took home the MVP award.
Bellinger also won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards that year.
Bellinger began to decline after the shortened 2020 season, and struggled in his last two years in Los Angeles in 2021 and 2022. L.A. decided to non-tender him ahead of the 2023 season, and he signed with the Cubs to try to revitalize his career.
Bellinger did just that in 2023, hitting .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs. He earned a three-year deal with Chicago, but regressed again in 2024, hitting just .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs.
The Cubs wanted to move off of Bellinger’s contract, and found a partner in the Yankees, who needed to add a left-handed hitting outfielder following the departure of Juan Soto in free agency.
Bellinger is far from the bat that Soto is, but he’s a plus defender and will look to get back to his 2023 ways on a team that lost the World Series just over six weeks ago.
While the Yankees lost Soto, they’ve had a productive offseason, adding left-handed ace Max Fried, right-handed reliever Devin Williams, and now Bellinger.
