This article is part of our Hot Stove Takes series, where staffers provide quick reactions to the latest notable MLB transactions. Below are our thoughts on the Chicago Cubs Trade for Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet

Tom Verducci: The Yankees’ Plan B after missing out on Juan Soto just got better. By acquiring Cody Bellinger from the Cubs in a salary cut, New York filled its two biggest needs with one player: a center fielder to allow Aaron Judge to move from that demanding spot and a left-handed power bat to complement Judge’s right-handed bat Thunder.

The Yankees passed on Soto in a losing bidding war they would never win by adding All-Stars Max Fried, Devin Williams and Bellinger – at the expense of the talent of a soon-to-be free agent with a forearm problem (Nestor Cortes), a 5’6″ unpowered second baseman (Caleb Durbin) and a 30-year-old right-hander with 24 career games in the major leagues (Cody Poteet). The Yankees can now sign Alex Bregman to play third base or Christian Walker to play first base and consider mission accomplished.

Judge is the big winner here because he no longer has to play center, reducing the wear and tear on a 282-pound man who turns 33 in April, and he gets a left-handed backup bat to keep opposing managers honest when it comes to encounters.

But one question still remains with the addition of Bellinger: Can he be an impact bat worthy of being placed next to Judge in the lineup? The all-world Bellinger of 2019 (.625 SLG) is gone and isn’t coming back. In the large sample size since then, which included shoulder surgery after the 2020 season, Bellinger is an average big league hitter (OPS+ of 100) with a below-average on-base percentage (.306).

The scary trend with Bellinger is that he just doesn’t hit the ball hard anymore. His average exit velocity over the last two seasons was 87.8 mph, which ranks 200th out of 255 players (minimum 2,500 pitches). His career EV up to that point was 90.1 mph.

Previously known anecdotally for his ferocious bat speed, in 2024 he fell into the 13th percentile in bat speed while also posting a career-low 23rd percentile in pursuit rate. His defensive stats have also dropped.

On the bright side, Bellinger has reduced his two-hit swing and become a better breakball hitter (.260 BA over the last two seasons; .217 before that). His poor home numbers last year (.247/.300/.399 slash line) were influenced by a season in which the weather made Wrigley Field particularly big. And with his athleticism and profile as a true center fielder, Bellinger will help the Yankees achieve their main overarching goal for 2025: playing cleaner, faster baseball.

Undoubtedly, the Yankees still have a lot of work to do if they expect Bellinger to be an All-Star, a level he hasn’t reached since 2019. His floor should at least be that of an average player, a level that Alex Verdugo was unable to reach (OPS+). : 83). With the Cubs pocketing $5 million of the $52.5 million Bellinger is owed over the next two seasons, he’s worth the small risk in the short term.

Stephanie Apstein: I like this move by the Yankees. Bellinger is slightly overpaid at $27.5 million next season and a $25 player option for 2026, which is why the Cubs are releasing him, but he is an excellent first baseman and a good center fielder – both of which the Yankees need. (Ben Rice hit .171 in his 50-game debut last year; Judge is really better suited to righty.) And at the plate, Bellinger appears to have put his terrible year of ’21 and his terrible year of ’22 behind him, which together he hasn’t – tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He’s unlikely to be the 8.6 win player who won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award in ’19, and his exit velocity (better than just 22% of other hitters) is concerning, but if he basically a league average hitter is Yankees, he makes them better.

Nick Same: Going into the offseason, I thought there was at least some chance that Bellinger would get out of the three-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Cubs last winter. His production in 2024 fell short compared to his catch-up performance in ’23, but not by an excessive amount. He posted a slash line of .266/.325/.426 with a 109 wRC+, good for 2.2 fWAR (compared to a 136 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR in 1923). Combine that with at least average midfield defense and this appears to be a player in demand.

The market obviously thinks otherwise. That the Cubs acquired a 30-year-old bullpen filler (no disrespect to Cody Poteet) just for the opportunity to get Bellinger’s contract off the books suggests that teams believe his arrow is clearly pointing downward. On the surface, it’s not hard to see why – Bellinger has battled some serious injuries throughout his career, hitting .193 in 2021-22 before being de-tendered by the Dodgers. His ’23 campaign made it seem like his MVP markets weren’t all that far away, although ’24 was a significant step down and the numbers under the hood weren’t encouraging. His average exit velocity dropped to a career-low 87.8 mph and his xwOBA (.301) was below league average.

Still, his acquisition solves a lot of problems for the Yankees. They had to relieve Judge and move him out of center field, and although Bellinger is listed as being three inches shorter and 80 pounds lighter than his predecessor in terms of height and weight, he fits the franchise’s obvious preference for power forward players at the position. size to play. Bellinger can also fill another roster hole at first base, and his pull-side, high-loft approach should work quite well at Yankee Stadium.

When the Cubs signed Kyle Tucker, it was all but certain that Bellinger would be the next star dealt. What’s surprising to me is that the move ultimately led to a pay cut. The leftover Juan Soto money must have burned a hole in Brian Cashman’s pockets, although there were worse places to spend it than Bellinger.

Ryan Phillips: The Yankees added to their outfield in this deal, but didn’t come close to replacing Soto. Bellinger continued his career-saving comeback in 2023 with an unspectacular ’24 season in which he slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs. He’s a versatile defender who is reportedly eligible for center field in the Bronx and has some upside if the Yankees can unlock something.

Bellinger, a lefty pull hitter, will likely increase his home run numbers at Yankee Stadium, but we shouldn’t expect a major career rebound. He’s a useful player and the Yankees didn’t have to give up much to get him, although they will have to pay him almost $50 million over the next two seasons (unless he plays well enough next year to opt out last year) . his contract).

For the Cubs, this trade is all about regrets. They were captivated by Bellinger’s 4.4 WAR season in 2023 and thought he changed everything. They gave him a three-year contract worth $80 million in February, and this trade is a concession they wish they hadn’t made. Chicago had to cough up $5 million for the trade and in return they only got a rarely used 30-year-old pitcher.

It’s purely a salary drop for Chicago as the franchise looks to realign things now that Tucker is in charge.