After Years Of Speculation, Interest, and Rumors, Cody Bellinger Is Finally a New York Yankee
We've got a trade! The Yankees' Plan B has shifted now to the offensive side of the ball. After going out and acquiring Max Fried and Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger now heads to The Bronx. After a lot of linking over the years, Cody has arrived in New York.
The Yankees desperately needed to improve their offense with Juan Soto now elsewhere. That starts with Cody. Is he the generational star that makes a statement to the baseball world? In 2019 he certainly was, but that was a long time ago. Still, in the present Cody Bellinger is a good baseball player who gives you contact, power, speed, defense, and versatility. Getting him for Cody Poteet (essentially a long reliever/8th starter) is nothing you're going to wince at in anyway. There's really no reason to not do this trade.
Bellinger with some protection in that lineup and the short porch (RIP) in right should improve his power numbers to get him a minimum of 20+ bombs over a full healthy season. I see no issues with adding him as long as he doesn't fall off a cliff like he did bizarrely in 2021 and 2022. Shoulder injury was to blame for all that, but it also led to his swing getting messed up in a horrific way. He's still only 29 so I get the feeling there's plenty of good baseball left in Cody Bellinger. The Cubs were looking to dump his salary and get under the luxury tax. The Yankees took advantage of that.
Losing Juan Soto sucks, but the Yankees are adding in places they need to and it's not costing them much capital besides money.
They need more, specifically a 2B/3B and 1B, but I'm liking the moves. Christian Walker next would be wonderful. There's some Santander speculation out there that I'm not in love with. Let him go to like the Blue Jays. Alonso has the makings of a terrible contract with a hitter who will age terribly. Walker on a 3 year deal with decent AAV is the move to me.
Fun fact to leave you with. Cody Bellinger's wife is Giancarlo Stanton's ex
Fun!