While the New York Yankees have received a lot of praise for landing one-time NL MVP Cody Bellinger in a trade this week, a notable MLB insider seems to think it was a bad move for the team.
Even before the offseason began, the Yankees have been linked to former Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger. The two-time All-Star is a talented outfielder with a power lefty bat perfectly made for Yankee Stadium. However, there were some notable hurdles in trade talks over the last couple of weeks.
Related: Insider reveals how New York Yankees will use Cody Bellinger
The 29-year-old seemed to regress a bit in 2024 after an All-Star campaign the year before. It gave many interested teams cause for pause since he has close to $50 million left on his contract. Rumors suggested the Yankees wanted the Chicago Cubs to pick up a good chunk of his contract in a potential trade. In the end, New York caved to get a player they really liked and will receive $5 million to help pay off the debt.
The eight-year veteran seems like a nice fit for the pinstripes for multiple reasons. He can force 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge to right field instead of being in center. Bellinger can play first base — another whole the team still has. And he adds another worthwhile bat to the lineup after they lost Juan Soto in free agency to the New York Mets.
However, The Athletic MLB insider and former executive Keith Law recently explained why he is not a big fan of the Yanks’ new addition.
- Cody Bellinger stats (2024): .266 AVG, .325 OBP, .426 SLG, .751 OPS, 18 HR, 78 RBI, 72 R
Was trading for Cody Bellinger the wrong move for the New York Yankees?
“Bellinger makes the Yankees somewhat better, but I don’t think he does enough to address their lineup questions, and he may end up pushing their top prospect — Jasson Domínguez — out of his best position,” Law wrote this week.
The former Blue Jays executive believes New York actually should have targeted Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki. A player who excels at getting on base. Something that the power-heavy Yankees often lack, especially in the postseason.
- Cody Bellinger contract: Three years, $80 million
“Bellinger’s OBP last year was .325. Just a tick below his career OBP of .334. And his OBP against lefties in 2024 was just .305 (career .321),” he wrote. “Adding him to a lineup that will already have left-handed regulars at a minimum at second base (Jazz Chisholm Jr.) and catcher (Austin Wells) — as well as the switch-hitting Domínguez, who is substantially better batting left-handed — isn’t solving any of their main offensive problems.”
A case can be made that Dominguez is the better option in center instead of Bellinger. However, at least for 2025, it looks like the veteran will be manning the middle of the outfield. There is also a chance Bellinger ends up playing first base if the Yankees strike out for some other names in MLB free agency.
Nevertheless, he adds another lefty bat to a lineup that has many and isn’t the on-base machine they could really use.
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