After striking out last season Cody BellingerThe Yankees are reportedly back in the fold for his services, as they are among a few teams that have spoken with the Cubs about a potential trade, reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Bellinger, who signed a three-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Cubs before the start of the 2024 season, exercised his 2025 player option worth $27.5 million, but it appears the Cubs may try to sign the outfielder /first baseman trade after he slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI in 130 games.
New York isn’t the only one reaching out to the Cubs, as the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners have also reached out, according to Levine.
Still, it could be difficult for Chicago to move the former MVP because of his salary. According to Levine, the Cubs don’t want to cover much of the remaining money owed to Bellinger, which could be a problem as ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that other teams believe Chicago will either have to pay off some of his salary or another team will have to adopt. enter into a contract to earn a decent return.
After signing a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Cubs in 2023 after six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where the second half didn’t 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.
While the 29-year-old had a solid season last season, his numbers pale in comparison to his production in 2023 and he was injured twice. Furthermore, with the influx of young talent from Chicago, especially in the outfield, on the horizon and a trio of players without trade clauses, trading Bellinger would make the most sense.
For the Yankees, if they were to lose on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, Bellinger in right field could be a nice consolation prize. If they kept Soto in the Bronx, Bellinger could still play first base for New York with New York’s departure Anthony Rizzo.
