The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have come together for a trade which sends first basemen/outfielder Cody Bellinger to New York.
According to ESPNs Jeff Passan the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have finally come to an agreement on a trade which sends first basemen/outfielder Cody Bellinger and cash to New York in exchange for right-handed reliever Cody Poteet.
With an agreement already in place, but failing to come to an agreement on money, it was only a matter of time until this deal got done. Now however it finally seemed that the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs finally struck the right notes in order to get this deal done.
Some details to note of the deal, per Jack Curry of the YES Network the Cubs are sending the Yankees a total of $5 million, $2.5 million for this year and another $2.5 million for next year.
What are the Yankees getting?
Cody Bellinger who is 29-years-old decided earlier this year to opt into his $27.5M deal for this season and since then the Cubs has been trying trade him ever since picking it up. Bellinger had a solid enough season for the Cubs last season where he played in 130 games had hit 137 hits and a slash line of .266/.325/.426 a OPS and OPS+ .751 and 111 with 18 HRs and 78 RBI. Cody Bellinger will add value to the Yankees and potentially have some power come back with such a short porch in right field.
The Yankees were the team most in need of someone like Cody Bellinger since they lost Juan Soto to the New York Mets. The Yankees who now have Bellinger received an excellent consolation prize. With Bellinger’s acquisition the Yankees can now move Aaron Judge back to right field where he’s a way better defender. Per Bob Nightengale Bellinger was informed that he will in fact be playing in centerfield next season a spot he’s very familiar with and where he has gold glove potential. Bellinger as well will provide a solid bat for the Yankees lineup either batting behind or in front of Judge.
Bellinger was ultimately proving to be the odd man out on the Cubs roster especially with their recent acquisition of Kyle Tucker. A stacked outfield which features Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and now Kyle Tucker there was no spot out there for Bellinger to see enough playing time. As well with the emergence of first basemen Micheal Busch who now will get the everyday reps at first it was only logical for the Cubs to move on from Bellinger. Especially with him potentially making $52.5 million the next two seasons.
The Return
In the return back the Cubs are getting a solid arm for the bullpen which they needed. The now 30-year-old Poteet is a solid option for a potential backend of the bullpen arm. Joining the like of Eli Morgan who was acquired from the Guardians both Poteet and Morgan are great options for the 7th or 8th innings. With a career ERA of 3.80 in his three MLB season, Poteet seems like a very valuable pickup for the Cubs.
What can the Cubs do now with the Money Freed Up?
Now that the Cubs have found a taker for Cody Bellinger which now elevates them of his salary, they can now start to potentially target so more prominent names on the free agent market like a Corbin Burnes. With Burnes potentially looking at a contract of somewhere close to $200 million, the Cubs now have the available funds freed up in order to go out and get someone like him.
All in all this was a deal that the Cubs needed to make. Hamstrung by the contract it was only a matter of time before they ended up finding a suitable taker for someone of Bellinger’s talents. The potential is still there for Bellinger to get back to his MVP type form and be a star again. As I said prior with Yankee stadium having such a short porch out in right field the possibility of Bellinger getting up to and over 30 HRs in a season again is very high.
This was a win-win trade in the end for both teams. The Cubs get a bullpen arm they have been looking for as well as freeing them from Bellinger’s contract. For the Yankees they get their consolation prize in Cody Bellinger who can give them a solid bat in their lineup as well as gold glove level defense.
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