Donedeal: Yankees has landed a $40 million star player from St. Louis Cardinals

As the July 30 trade deadline draws closer, the New York Yankees’ roster requirements are becoming more apparent. First base is one of the Bombers’ weak points. Is it wise for general manager Brian Cashman to attempt to acquire Chicago Cubs outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger?

Evan Massey of Sports Illustrated believes it’s something worth looking into.

He stated, “Anthony Rizzo is out due to injury, but there were rumblings that the Yankees might want an upgrade even before his injury.” As a result, a number of players were mentioned as possible targets. The players Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and others were suggested as potential trade targets. Now, one might be interested in a new name.

The Chicago Cubs are still having trouble, so perhaps New York could try to acquire star first baseman Cody Bellinger through trade.

As of June 27, the Cubs are in last place in the National League Central after four straight losses. With a record of 37–44, they are five games out of the last NL Wild Card place and 11 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Yankees have encountered difficulties of their own in the interim. They have dropped eight of their previous ten games and three in a row. With a 52-30 record, New York is still ahead of the Baltimore Orioles by one game in the American League East. They are therefore in a better position than Chicago to purchase.

Bellinger Would Significantly Improve New York
Bellinger’s 2024 output hasn’t quite matched his impressive 2023 campaign, but it would still be a significant addition to the Yankees’ lineup.

The slugger on the left hand cut sharply.Last year, Chicago had a 307/.356/.525 line with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 20 steals. In the end, he signed a three-year, $80 million contract extension with the Cubs this past winter. For now, though, this season—during which he is making $30 million—is the only one that is guaranteed. If Bellinger decides to retest free agency after 2024 and 2025, he has opt-outs.

Bellinger would probably be valued as a half-season rental by any interested teams if the Cubs were to consider selling him. Even so, he would be a valuable addition to a lot of squads. Bellinger is making contact.261/.333/.432 with 291 plate appearances this season, nine home runs, 34 RBI, and 32 runs scored.

After breaking his forearm, Rizzo will be out of the Yankees lineup for roughly the next two months. But because of his early-season troubles, his place as the starting first baseman was already being called into doubt. Just.223/.289/.341 was Rizzo’s batting average through 291 plate appearances before to being placed on the injured list.

The Yankees and Bellinger have been connected in the past
Bellinger joining the Yankees in the Bronx is not a novel concept. On a one-year, $17.5 million contract, he was playing during his breakout 2023 season. Chicago was expecting to sell him before the trade deadline because they thought he was a good fit for a trade. A scorching run in July persuaded the front desk to veer off track and hang onto every possible trade candidate.

However, before that could happen, there were whispers regarding Bellinger’s potential fit with the Yankees. After he gained free agency in the winter, such rumors persisted. On November 7, Jon Heyman of the New York Post revealed that the Yankees had Bellinger at the top of their list in order to strengthen their outfield.

Following New York’s trade for Juan Soto at the start of December, that idea lost steam. However, these speculations will undoubtedly start circulating once more given that the Yankees are searching for more offensive and Chicago is rapidly losing games. Bellinger would probably strengthen New York’s underperforming right side of the infield rather than inserting him right away into the outfield.