Cody Bellinger Rumors: Cubs Interested, Yankees Make Second Contract Offer
A new but familiar team has joined the list of publicly linked clubs Cody Bellinger‘s market, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Cubs have “acquired” the former NL MVP’s services. Bellinger played for the Cubs through the 2023-24 season, and Chicago’s involvement means that Bellinger’s market now includes all three of his former teams (Yankees, Cubs, and Dodgers), with the Giants, Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, and Phillies also showing interest at various points this season.
It is not known whether the Cubs’ involvement is more than an active pursuit of an available player they are familiar with, but Chicago’s offseason scouting has included prominent position players such as. Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suarez, Pete Alonsoagain Kazuma Okamotomore than most of the original jars. The Cubs have been active in the bullpen market but should not make a big ticket addition to the roster that has reached the playoffs in 2025, but is expected to lose. Kyle Tucker in free agency.
Bringing Bellinger back to Wrigleyville would be an interesting pivot, as it was just over a year ago when the Cubs dealt the first baseman/outfielder to the Yankees. Originally coming to Chicago on a three-year, $80MM free agent contract that included two opt-out clauses, Bellinger passed on his first pick following the 2024 season, leaving the Cubs on the hook for $52.5MM over the remaining two seasons.
The Cubs got most of that money off their future books by sending Bellinger and $5MM to New York for the right-hander. Cody Poteetwho was selected for assignment and then traded to the Orioles at the end of March. In short, it was essentially a salary dump move for the Cubs, although they reinvested some of the savings in Bellinger by acquiring Tucker in a blockbuster trade with the Astros.
In theory, getting Bellinger back is a neat thing since he can slide right in as a replacement for Tucker, Seiya Suzuki staying in the main DH role. It creates a bit of a logjam from high probability Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissieagain Kevin Alcantara they are all ready to show what they can do in the extended MLB playing time. With Suzuki and Happ being free agents next winter, however, the Cubs could approach 2026 as an immediate dynamic, then give the kids a chance in 2027 when roster space opens up.
MLB Trade Rumors pegged Bellinger to a five-year, $140MM contract while ranking him eighth on our list of the top 50 free agents. Dansby SwansonThe seven-year, $177MM deal through the 2022-23 offseason remains the largest free agent investment of Jed Hoyer’s tenure as baseball president, and stands as Hoyer’s only nine-figure contract of any kind.
The Cubs are open to significant contracts and extensions such as Suzuki, Happ, Jameson Taillonand others, but adding Bellinger to his projected price tag would be a reach given Chicago’s recent spending habits. That said, $140MM doesn’t seem like it should be completely out of the Cubs’ price range, and the fact that Bellinger is a known value would make him a unique case. After all, if the Cubs were willing to commit $80MM to Bellinger after two years of injury-hit Dodgers, investing something like $140MM when Bellinger is coming off three solid years and is only 30 years old seems like a logical move for the team.
All of this speculation, of course, comes after the Yankees’ pursuit, as it’s widely seen that re-signing Bellinger is New York’s top priority. If Bellinger is just one of the many names on the Cubs’ radar but the top name on the Yankees’ wish list, it would appear that the Bronx Bombers will personally outbid the rest of the market for his services.
Heyman reported Thursday that the Yankees made Bellinger an official contract in late December, and Joel Sherman (also of the New York Post) added new information that the Bombers have since given Bellinger a second offer. This increase in the pace of negotiations could mean that the two sides are getting closer to a deal to bring Bellinger back for an encore in pinstripes.
Like the Cubs, Bellinger’s return to the Yankees will lead to a crowded situation. With Aaron is the judge in the right place, Ben Rice in the beginning, Giancarlo Stanton in DH, and Trent Grisham to accept a qualifying offer to return to center field, that would leave left field as the only logical place for Bellinger to normally be. This is going Jason Dominguez out of a spot in the lineup, and a top outfield prospect Spencer Jones He is expected to make his MLB debut sometime in 2026.
Sherman speculates that if Bellinger were to come close to a deal with New York, it could be linked to recent reports of talks between the Yankees and the Marlins. Edward Cabrera. The Yankees are far from the only team trying to pry Cabrera away from the Fish, but New York has already made two notable trades with Peter Bendix (including the Jazz Chisholm deal) during Bendix’s two-plus years in the Marlins’ front office transition. If the Bombers re-sign Bellinger, that would make the Yankees more open to offering Dominguez or Jones as the centerpiece of a trade package for Cabrera.
