The New York Yankees have traded RHP Cody Poteet to the Chicago Cubs for OF/1B Cody Bellinger and $5 mil as there can be only one…Cody. Let’s dig in to what this means for the Yankees.

Cody Bellinger, whose father Clay played for the Yankees, was rumored to be a trade target for New York as soon as the offseason began. He was thought to be a perfect plan B if they could not resign Soto or as first baseman to replace Rizzo. Once Soto decided to go with the Mets, the rumors intensified and once the Cubs acquired Yankee target Kyle Tucker, it felt like a fait accompli.  After a few days of haggling over money, last night the Yankees and Cubs made it a reality. 

The word is that the Yankees see Bellinger as a center fielder.  This puts the Martian in left, where he struggled at the end of the season. I don’t feel like this is the best way to line up. I think Cody is better as a corner outfielder and Dominguez is better in center.  Now, I expect the Martian to be much better in left than he was last season, especially if he now knows that’s where he will be playing next season. He has from now until March 27th to work on his left field game. I am a big fan of putting Judge back in right.  He’s an adequate center fielder but a very good right fielder.  And much, much better than Soto is. So no matter how they line up, their outfield defense should be better than it was last season. I think this will work itself out in Spring Training.   

The Yankees still need to fill their first base hole.  Bellinger’s ability to play there does still give the Bombers some options. If they have an outfielder they can acquire that they like better than any of their 1st base options, then they can always go in that direction.  It also gives them in game and in season options if injuries become a factor.  Defensive versatility is never a bad thing for a player to have.

while there may be some question as to where he will play, which version of Bellinger the Yankees are going to get at the plate is the bigger question.  In his third season in 2019 Bellinger won the NL MVP while hitting .305 with 47 home runs, 115 RBIs, and 34 doubles.  The three seasons after that, he completely tanked.  It’s why the Dodgers moved him to the Cubbies.  The Yankees were rumored to be interested in him then but I was glad they had not acquired him because I felt everyone was remembering his MVP season and not looking at the hitter he had become.  Once he went to the Cubs, however, he had another big season.  Two seasons ago he hit .307 with 26 homers, and 96 RBIs.  Last season he dropped down again though he had a solid season hitting .266 with 18 round trippers and 78 RBIs. 

So the question is, which Cody Bellinger are the Yankees adding to their lineup?  Obviously we can not say for sure either way, but I do have reason to be optimistic.  If you look at his splits, Bellinger hit better on the road than he did at Wrigley.  .282 vs .247.  That’s a big difference.  Seeing as none of his at bats are going to be in Wrigley this season, I am hoping he will hit at least closer to the .282 mark.  Not only will none of his at bats be in Wrigley but half of them will be at Yankee stadium.  As a left-handed hitter, that should be very advantageous.  And it’s not just that his home games will be in a better ball park for him, he will also be hitting in a division that is a better hitters division with Fenway Park, Camden yards, and a Minor League ball park now in his division. 

Another factor that could determine how he hits next season is where they put him in the lineup.  My guess is it will depend on who else they bring in to fill the last two holes, but if he is hitting either in front of judge or behind him, it could have a big impact on his production.  A big question for the Yankees this season will be if they keep Judge batting 3^rd (as they should) or will they move him back to the two hole now that Soto has moved to Queens.  If they keep him at 3^rd, do they bat Bellinger in front of him and Jazz behind him?  Maybe vice versa?  Wells did well between Judge and Stanton but as a catcher he needs to take games off and I am not a big fan of having to change the middle of your lineup that often.  My guess is either neither are the Yankees.  I like batting Jazz after Judge better than in front so that Jazz can use his speed on the bases.  You don’t want to risk running into outs when Judge is coming up.  Of course, all of this could be moot if they pick up a big bat to play 3^rd or 1^st so it’s probably best to hold this thought until they finish building their roster, but where he hits in the lineup will definitely impact what he does at the plate. 

Another thing to consider is that Bellinger is just 29 years old and in the middle of his prime.  The Yankees should get the best version of him over these next two seasons.  They also don’t need him to be that MVP caliber hitter.  It would be nice, but they just need him to be a very solid hitter.  He is not replacing Soto.  No one is. If he can just level out somewhere between last season and the season before, he will be a very good addition to the lineup.                  

As for what the Yankees gave up to get Bellinger, by moving Cody Poteet, the Yankees lost their only guy in the minors who could step in and start if the team needed a spot start.  I am not a fan of Adam Warren at all.  This makes me wonder if the Yankees will look to keep Marcus Strowman and use either him or, more likely Clarke Schmidt in that role.  I feel that would be a waste of Clarke Schmidt.  I am sure he would feel the same.  Maybe they can acquire someone else to fill it that role, as they did with Poteet last year, and still move on from Strowman.     

Over all I like this trade.  I wish Cashman would stop trading all my favorite young guys but at least he is getting good players for them.  There is still 2 moves to be made before Spring Training.  We will see what else Cashman has up his sleeve.  Hopefully he makes his moves before the end of the week.  I hate when this stuff lingers.