Trade particulars: New York Yankees purchase OF/1B Cody Bellinger and money concerns from the Chicago Cubs for RHP Cody Poteet
The Yankees wanted one other bat after the departure of Juan Soto, and so they received one on a budget, so to talk, buying and selling a replacement-level arm to the Cubs and taking up about 90 % of Bellinger’s remaining contract. Bellinger makes the Yankees considerably higher, however I don’t assume he does sufficient to deal with their lineup questions, and he might find yourself pushing their high prospect — Jasson Domínguez — out of his finest place.
If I had been within the Yankees’ sneakers, I might have most popular to accumulate Seiya Suzuki, whose OBP expertise could be an ideal match for a Yankees lineup that’s going to have critical issues placing guys on base. Among Yankees presently on their roster, Aaron Judge is the one one who had an OBP over .324 final yr, and the one one who had an OBP over .319 towards left-handed pitchers.
Bellinger’s OBP final yr was .325, only a tick beneath his profession OBP of .334, and his OBP towards lefties in 2024 was simply .305 (profession .321). Adding him to a lineup that can have already got left-handed regulars at a minimal at second base (Jazz Chisholm Jr.) and catcher (Austin Wells) — in addition to the switch-hitting Domínguez, who’s considerably higher batting left-handed — isn’t fixing any of their fundamental offensive issues.
Trading for Suzuki relatively than Bellinger would even have allowed the Yankees to maintain Domínguez at his pure place of heart. It seems that New York intends to play Bellinger in heart, although he’s simply a median defender there, and slide Domínguez to left, the place he’ll ultimately be a plus defender, however struggled in his first stint there in 2024. They may additionally put Bellinger at first base, the place’s he’s nonetheless plus, and restore Domínguez to heart, assuming the membership misses out on or declines to signal one of many remaining free-agent first basemen, like Christian Walker, or resolve as an alternative to signal outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
Bellinger’s potential to play heart and first base leaves flexibility for the Yankees to accumulate both one other outfielder or a primary baseman. (Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Bellinger does have pull energy, and as a left-handed hitter, he may get just a few additional homers out of Yankee Stadium’s brief proper subject. His pull share was really at a profession low 40.5 % this previous season, which remains to be larger than the MLB common, and I assume the Yankees will encourage him to revive his larger pull charges of prior years. Even his comparatively low house run whole from 2024 of 18 would rank third amongst returning Yankees, behind solely Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
I’ve buried the lede somewhat right here, although, which is that the Yankees received Bellinger at no cost. They traded Cody Poteet, a 30-year-old right-hander who has been a replacement-level pitcher by FanGraphs’ WAR, which is probably going extra correct than bWAR in his case given his .237 BABIP allowed within the majors and .302 BABIP allowed in Triple A. (That is, he’s been tremendous fortunate within the majors, as a result of his time in Triple A says he has no particular potential to restrict hits on balls in play that will help him sustaining such a low major-league BABIP going ahead.)
The Yankees are even getting $2.5 million from the Cubs in every of the subsequent two years, in order that they’ll pay Bellinger $25 million this yr, and $22.5 million in 2026 if he doesn’t choose out. (If he opts out, the 2 golf equipment will cut up his $5 million buyout.) That’s a bit wealthy for his 2.2 WAR efficiency this previous season, however a steal if he will get again to his 4.4 WAR efficiency from 2023. I can discuss all day about how Suzuki was a greater match, however he additionally would have price them one thing extra in prospects or younger large leaguers than Bellinger did. Suzuki additionally has a no-trade clause, which can have difficult a deal.
I’d be much more sad to see the Cubs dump a wage had they not simply made a giant swing for Kyle Tucker, and if this makes them extra inclined to go commerce for or signal a No. 2 starter, than all the higher. The Cubs’ proprietor shouldn’t be crying penury, but when transferring Bellinger — a superb however finally superfluous participant on this roster, which nonetheless most likely has extra outfielders than they will play — makes including that one further arm possible, I’m good with it.
The Cubs want another arm forward of their passel of back-end starters, together with Jameson Taillon (who bounced again to 2.2-2.3 WAR final yr), the perpetually underrated Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, and Ben Brown (who I feel might be higher suited to the bullpen). As with their lineup previous to the Tucker commerce, they’ve assembled a very good rotation of 2-3 WAR starters. Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga had been at precisely 3.0 fWAR final yr, though Steele is best than that when absolutely wholesome. They want a greater starter out entrance, whether or not it’s forward of or simply behind Steele.
The finances room they simply regained from buying and selling Bellinger ought to go proper into pitching — not into Tom Ricketts’ pocket.
(Top photograph of Bellinger: Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)
