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Yankees acquire Cody Bellinger from Cubs

Matt Hanifan / MLB / December 17, 2024

<a rel= — (Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Yankees acquire Cody Bellinger from Cubs

There it is! The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for reliever Cody Poteet, ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan was among the first to report Tuesday.

BREAKING: OF/1B Cody Bellinger has been traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees, sources tell ESPN. Bellinger, 29, is a former MVP and has two years remaining on his contract with an opt-out after 2025. Yankees continue to be aggressive post-Juan Soto.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 17, 2024

According to Passan, the Cubs will be paying $5 million of the deal–$2.5 million for his $27.5 million 2025 salary and the other $2.5 to either cover his $25 million 2026 salary (player option) or his $5 million buyout.

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.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 17, 2024

Bellinger, 29, has been linked to the Yankees for ages, especially after the Cubs acquired left-handed outfielder Kyle Tucker. He had a bounce back last two seasons in Chicago, slashing .286/.340/.475 (125 OPS+) with 52 doubles, four triples, 44 home runs and 175 RBIs across 260 games.

He will likely be playing either centerfield or left field with the Yankees–in addition in first-base, especially if Ben Rice is the opening-day starter and struggles. I talked about this on Sunday, but multiple peripherals suggest that Bellinger’s overperformed in each of the last two years while he was flat-out bad from 2021-22.

Why Yankees should target Seiya Suzuki, not Cody Bellinger

The cost wasn’t a lot, and I expect his swing to play well in Yankee Stadium for 81 games. But I’d be remiss to mention that he hasn’t consistently hit the ball hard in nearly half a decade. That’s an issue for a lineup that needs mashers. There were definitely better options, but his defensive versatility had appeal above all else.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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