Yankees Land Cody Bellinger in Deal with Cubs, Cubs Shred Salary and Add Reliever Cody Poteet

Rumors Swirl Around Potential Trade Between Cubs and Yankees

Rumors and updates swirled the past few weeks over a possible trade between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees. This trade was solely focused on the Cubs looking to shop OF/1B Cody Bellinger, whose contract was 3 years $80 million. After posting a .266 average with only 18 homers from the slugger, the Cubs were seeking to get out of the contract. Who is a team that Bellinger’s left-handed power hitting style fits? There are a few teams that match that description but the one we are talking about today comes from the bombers over in the Bronx. 

The New York Yankees are known for their infamous “short porch” out in right field where left-handed hitters have always benefited from. The “short porch” is measured at 314 feet… yes that’s right only 314 feet long; there are high school baseball fields that have further right fields. The Yankees use this to their benefit, adding plenty of lefties to their star-studded roster. A guy like Cody Bellinger, who has seemingly struggled the past few years since his MVP season, could greatly benefit from having typically fly-ball outs turn into homers for the Yankees. 

Yankees and Cubs Engage in Trade Talks During Winter Meetings

Going into the MLB winter meetings there was moderate conversations about the Cubs wanting to trade away Cody Bellinger due to his expensive contract. The Cubs lived up to the conversations, as they grew passionate about trading away Bellinger. Meetings upon meetings; many teams were interested such as the Giants, Phillies, Mets, as well as the Yankees. The Phillies were slated to make a pursuit, but in the end they fell short to the Yankees, just as every other team did. By the end of the winter meetings, it seemed as if the Yankees were the clear front-runners to land Bellinger. At the conclusion of the winter meetings no deal was made, as they were at a stalemate. At one point the Yankees, Cubs, and Astros talked about a 3-team trade that involved the Yankees landing Bellinger, the Cubs landing a reliever and getting out of the contract, and the Astros landing some prospects. But in the end the Astros pulled out as their owner, Jim Crane, simply couldn’t wrap his head around helping out the Yankees. As crazy as it seems, yes… this did happen and Crane simply didn’t want to trade with the Yankees to “make them better.” 

Final Deal Reached: Yankees Acquire Bellinger

Nearly a week later though, a deal was finalized on Tuesday December 17, 2024. The Yankees acquired Cody Bellinger and $5 million dollars in cash considerations, while the Cubs landed reliever Cody Poteet and got rid of most of Bellinger’s contract. 

The Cubs landed 30 year old Poteet, who posted a 2.22 ERA over 5 total games last year (4 in which he started). The Cubs believe he will play a key role in a very minimal rotation. The main reason the Cubs wanted to make this trade was to get rid of Bellinger’s contract, and they did just that with only having to spend $5 million of it. With this being said, it makes you wonder if the Cubs wanted to get out of this contract to go after someone big… Possibly Roki Sasaki, the newest Japanese sensation or possibly another target. The Cubs are not known as spenders, as they gave out their biggest contract to Jason Heyward which was 8 years, $184 million. After trading for Kyle Tucker from the Astros, we may finally see the Cubs go into spending mode. 

Both Teams Achieve Their Goals

This trade seemingly goes in the Yankees favor, but all in all, both clubs got what they were looking for. The Yankees received a power-hitting lefty, and the Cubs got a promising starter and got out of Bellinger’s contract. 

Cameron Williams

DiSportsPhotoAgency

Senior Writer