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The Chicago Cubs got their most decorated veteran back for 2025, but they might not want him.
After re-signing former Most Valuable Player Award winner Cody Bellinger to a three-year, $80 million contract with two player options last winter, the Cubs went on to miss the playoffs for the fourth-straight season. Now, Bellinger has opted to return to the Cubs for $27.5 million in 2025 and the team might feel that it’s better off by trading him away for some future talent.
With that in mind, Emmanuel Berbari proposed a blockbuster trade between the Cubs and the New York Yankees for SNY’s Baseball Night in New York. His idea would be for the Cubs to send Bellinger and Nico Hoerner to the Yankees in exchange for starter Marcus Stroman and top prospects Spencer Jones and Will Warren.
“Yankees address two of their major needs — Bellinger, plug him right at first base … and Hoerner, I love the fit,” Berbari added. “I think the Cubs are looking to get rid of that money and they’re looking to get rid of Hoerner for the right value, so Spencer Jones has to go back.”
As of right now, Bellinger’s 2025 salary represents the Cubs’ biggest financial commitment for next season after the $28 million owed to Dansby Swanson. So, if the team is looking to clear some money with an eye toward the future, dealing Bellinger could make sense.
And including Hoerner, who is owed $11.5 million in 2025 and then $12 million in 2026 before becoming a free agent, could be the key to landing Jones and Warren from the Yankees.
Jones was one of the most promising young sluggers in Double-A this past season and he’s earned some comparisons to Aaron Judge as a hulking outfielder with significant power at the plate. And Warren is the Yankees’ top pitching prospect, though he struggled with a 10.32 ERA in five big-league starts in 2024.
Also of note is that this swap would also see the Cubs reunited with Stroman, who enjoyed an All-Star season in 2023 in Chicago as he pitched for a 3.95 ERA in 25 starts. Following that campaign, he signed a two-year, $37 million deal that includes a vesting option for 2026 with the Yankees and struggled in his debut year. Perhaps Stroman could bounce back in 2025 by pitching his home games at Wrigley Field.
Ultimately, this blockbuster trade proposal only seems to make sense if the Cubs are desperate to rid themselves of Bellinger’s salary and if the Yankees see him as the kind of impact addition that is worth some of their best prospect talent. Otherwise, it seems like a longshot.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)