Cubs Trade Former MVP to the Yankees

The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees have both been active in the free agency and trade market this winter. Both clubs have continued to stay in the news as they agreed on a trade that will send 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger to the Yankees in exchange for relief pitcher Cody Poteet. This trade comes just days after the Cubs made a splash for star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. The acquisition of Tucker made Bellinger expendable from the Cubs' perspective given their numerous other outfield options, which include guys like Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and the newly acquired Tucker. 

The Yankees are going to turn to Bellinger to help fill the hole that Juan Soto left after he joined the crosstown rival New York Mets earlier in the month. Bellinger is coming off a bit of a down year in 2024, which was riddled with injuries. However, Bellinger proved that there is still a version of his 2019 MVP season in the tank in his first year with the Cubs in 2023. He had a career-high .307 batting average with a .356 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage in 2023 with Chicago. He also hit 26 home runs and drove in 97 runs that year.

As for the return going to Chicago, Cody Poteet is a 29-year-old reliever who pitched in just 24.1 innings for the Yankees in 2024. He recorded a 2.22 ERA while giving up six earned runs in those 28 innings. He made his debut in the league in 2021 with the Marlins, where he threw a total of 58.2 innings for Miami in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. While the return for the Cubs may not jump off the page compared to what the Yankees are receiving, this is a step in the right direction for the Cubs to improve their bullpen depth, which was a serious issue for them in 2024. Bellinger has an opt out in his contract after the upcoming season, which means he could hit free agency next winter should he decide to utilize the opt out.