After striking out last offseason on Cody Bellinger, the Yankees are reportedly back in the fold for his services as they are among a few teams who have spoken to the Cubs for a potential trade, reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Bellinger, who signed a three-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Cubs prior to the start of the 2024 season, exercised his 2025 player option worth $27.5 million, but it appears the Cubs are trying to trade the outfielder/first baseman after he slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI in 130 games.
New York is not alone in contacting the Cubs as the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners have also reached out, per Levine.
Still, Chicago may have a difficult time moving the former MVP due to his salary. According to Levine, the Cubs do not want to cover much of the remaining money owed to Bellinger, which could be an issue as ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that other teams feel Chicago will either need to pay down a portion of his salary or take on another contract in order to get a decent return.
After signing a one-year deal worth $17.5 million with the Cubs in 2023 following six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers where the latter half did not go as planned, Bellinger bounced back to the tune of a .307/.356/.525 slash line with 26 home runs, 97 RBI and a career-high 20 steals in 130 games. That production earned him a well-deserved three-year contract.
Although the 29-year-old had a solid campaign last season, his numbers pale in comparison to his 2023 production and he was injured twice. Furthermore, with Chicago’s influx of young talent, especially in the outfield, on the horizon and a trio of players with no-trade clauses, trading Bellinger would make the most sense.
For the Yankees, if they were to lose out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, Bellinger in right field could be a nice consolation prize. If they were to keep Soto in the Bronx, Bellinger could still play first base for New York with the departure of Anthony Rizzo.