The New York Yankees are engaged in conversations with the Chicago Cubs over outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was widely available at the start of the offseason. While the two sides seem motivated to make a deal, money has remained an obstacle for the Yankees who are adamant that they shouldn’t foot the bill on a two-year $52 million deal, which Chicago is working hard to get out of. After their acquisition of Kyle Tucker, they have a log jam in the outfield and could use both the roster space and financial flexibility to address other needs on the roster.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that industry sources expect these two sides to reach an agreement on a deal that would send Bellinger to the Bronx, where he would immediately provide an upgrade at either first base or left field.
Cody Bellinger To the Yankees Continuing to Pick-Up Steam
With a swing that fits the dimensions of Yankee Stadium well, Cody Bellinger is someone the Yankees are hoping to import onto their roster to either serve as their left fielder or first baseman. He swatted 18 home runs last season with a solid 109 wRC+, but the Yankees likely believe he could be even better if he played 81 games in the Bronx, as he would have hit 24 home runs instead of 18 if he played all of his games at Yankee Stadium according to Baseball Savant.
Wrigley Field isn’t a great ballpark for left-handed hitters to hit home runs at, and Bellinger posted just a 99 wRC+ in his home games this past season. If he plays at Yankee Stadium his home numbers should be significantly better, and Bellinger could be a strong addition for this lineup, but the Yankees want that to come at their price point. The players in the deal are unknown, but what is known is that Brian Cashman doesn’t want to pay the entirety of the contract.
The Cubs on the other hand want to offload as much of his salary as possible, leaving these two sides at a crossroads as they continue to play hardball with each other.
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The Yankees did a lot of their heavy lifting for the pitching staff after losing out on Juan Soto, adding Max Fried and Devin Williams to shore up their rotation and bullpen. What’s left is the lineup, which has some serious flaws now that Juan Soto isn’t here to serve as a deodorant for the underperforming bats. Ideally, the Yankees can acquire three bats, one for first base, one for left field, and one for second or third base, and Bellinger provides some flexibility there.
Cody Bellinger’s ability to play first or left field in this scenario would allow Brian Cashman to acquire the best possible option at either left field or first base to boost this offense. While I would prefer they maximize Bellinger’s defensive value in the outfield, he’s a capable defensive first baseman who would be a massive upgrade over the likes of Anthony Rizzo or DJ LeMahieu.
Plenty of work needs to be done for the Yankees to field a contender in 2025, but Brian Cashman is active on the market hunting for whatever upgrades the organization can make happen.