Published December 17, 2024 4:30pm CST
CHICAGO – The New York Yankees agreed to acquire outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday for right-hander Cody Poteet, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. Chicago will send the Yankees $5 million as part of the trade, the person said.
The 29-year-old Bellinger, whose father Clay helped the Yankees win World Series titles in 1999 and 2000, is owed $27.5 million in 2025 under the first of two player options as part of an $80 million, three-year contract . The two-time All-Star also has a $25 million player option for 2026 with a $5 million buyout that would be payable in equal installments on Jan. 15, 2026, and Jan. 15, 2027.
Bellinger batted .266 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in 130 games this year. He was on the injured list from April 24 to May 7 with a broken right rib.
MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 30: Cody Bellinger #24 of the Chicago Cubs looks on in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on September 30, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
He drove in 33 runs in his last 39 games of the season, but Chicago finished with an 83-79 record.
Bellinger, who plays first base and center field, made his major league debut in 2017 and spent his first six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the NL MVP in 2019, batting .305 with 47 homers and 115 RBIs in 156 games. He also helped LA win the World Series in 2020.
He was cut by the Dodgers in November 2022 and signed a $17.5 million, one-year deal with Chicago a month later. He regained his form with the
Cubs, hitting a career-best .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs and 20 steals in 130 games last season year.
Bellinger is a .259 hitter with 196 homers and 597 RBIs in 1,005 games. He turns 30 in July.
Poteet, 30, made his major league debut with Miami in 2021, had Tommy John surgery on Aug. 17, 2022, returned to the mound with Kansas City’s Triple-A Omaha farm team on Sept. 23, 2023, was released by the Royals and signed with the Yankees last January . He went 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance during a season in which he was sidelined between June 12 and Sept. 25 by a strained right triceps.
