Yankees, Cubs finally complete long-awaited Cody Bellinger trade

Clay Bellinger spent ten years in the minor leagues before earning an opportunity with the New York Yankees. The first baseman and outfielder spent parts of three seasons in New York playing a role off the bench. Bellinger batted just .194/.258/.365 over 343 plate appearances during that stretch, hitting 12 homers and stealing 7 bases.

Oh, and he won a pair of World Series rings as part of the 1999 and 2000 teams.

Bellinger received just one plate appearance after leaving the Yankees (a strikeout for the Angels in 2002). He then spent two years in Triple-A with the Giants and Orioles before hanging up his cleats for good.

Clay’s career is in focus again now that his son is also a Yankee.

New York completed their long-expected acquisition of Cody Bellinger on Wednesday, agreeing to send right-hander Cody Poteet to the Chicago Cubs in return. Chicago will also pay a small portion of Bellinger’s remaining salary ($2.5M towards his 2025 salary; plus $2.5M towards his 2026 salary or the buyout he’s due if he opts out after this season).

A deal between the two teams felt obvious most of the offseason.

Chicago was certain to explore moving Bellinger. The club already had a logjam in their outfield when Bellinger elected not to opt out of his contract to enter free agency — with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Alexander Canario all vying for playing time. The mix became even more crowded once the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker from Houston.

Sliding Bellinger to first base regularly wasn’t a realistic solution, despite his ability to handle the position, since it would push Michael Busch from the starting lineup. Ultimately, for the Cubs, moving the $52.5M remaining on his contract was the ideal solution for several reasons.

New York had multiple needs to address this winter, including the outfield and first base, even before Juan Soto elected to sign with the crosstown Mets. Bellinger could have been an option in either place.

Add in the family connection and there is reason why Cody has been linked to the Yankees dating back to his days with the Dodgers.

It would seem, at least according to comments Yankees GM Brian Cashman shared with the media, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, that Bellinger has been pushing for a deal to get done.

The kid running around the Yankee Stadium clubhouse at age 5 and 6 — and on the field during the 2000 World Series celebration — has seemingly always wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps.

The Bellingers will actually be the fourth father-son duo to both wear Yankees pinstripes joining Yogi and Dale Berra, Ron and Ike Davis, and Mark and Mark Leiter Jr.

The Yankees will likely play Bellinger in center, letting them move Aaron Judge back over to right field. Bellinger won a Gold Glove in center field in 2019 and is more than a capable defender there. His versatility — and eagerness to play anywhere, according to quotes Hoch passed along from Aaron Boone — will certainly provide value.

New York may still look for another outfielder to challenge Jasson Dominguez (and to a much lesser degree Everson Pereira) for the starting job in left field. Trent Grisham is little more than a serviceable defensive option, who the team really should have non-tendered. Top prospect Spencer Jones will start the year at Triple-A and could be an option in left later in the 2025 season.

Bellinger’s bat is also going to provide value to the Yankees lineup, especially after losing Soto.

Something of a streaky hitter throughout his career, Bellinger holds a career .259/.334/.484 line with 196 home runs, 186 doubles, and 91 stolen bases. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2017, won the MVP in 2019, and has a pair of Silver Slugger Awards.

Last year he batted .266/.325/.426 with 18 homers and 23 doubles and most scouts expect his left-handed swing to play well in Yankee Stadium.

Chicago and New York discussed a Bellinger trade for at least the last few weeks, with various reports suggesting the two sides were mostly disagreeing over how much salary the Cubs would contribute (Chicago didn’t want to pay any, while the Yankees were asking for $10M; they’d settle at $5M). At one point, right-hander Will Warren was being discussed between the two teams as a potential return but the Cubs would settle for Poteet.

Poteet gives the Cubs pitching depth with minor league options remaining. The 30-year-old has thrown 83 IP in the majors with the Marlins and Yankees, posting a 3.80 ERA and 1.217 WHIP with 69 strikeouts and 35 walks over 24 appearances (13 starts). That includes a 2.22 ERA and 1.068 WHIP over 24.1 IP with New York last season.