Cody Bellinger buries the Cubs in a gut-wrenching offensive showcase in the Bronx

This weekend’s series against the New York Yankees was bound to open up old wounds for Chicago Cubs fans, as Cody Bellinger took the field against his former club for the first time. Bellinger simultaneously created new wounds for Cubs fans in the process, putting forward a “revenge game” for the ages in a lopsided series opener. 

Cubs fans no doubt remember that Bellinger was traded more or less for scraps, as the Yankees only had to give up 30-year-old Cody Poteet in what can only be described as a botched salary dump. If anyone is curious as to Poteet’s whereabouts, he made one appearance for the Baltimore Orioles after his release by the Cubs in spring training, giving up five runs in 2 2/3 innings, and was subsequently transferred to the 60-day IL.

Bellinger wasted no time making the Cubs regret their decision, sending a two-run homer into the bleachers in the third inning, before following it up with another two-run shot in the fifth. Bellinger was inches away from his third home run of the night in the seventh inning thanks to a nifty catch by Kyle Tucker, but Bellinger would eventually get it with yet another two-run shot in the eighth.

Cody Bellinger put forward a revenge game for the history books in his first game since the Cubs traded him in a pure salary dump

The Cubs fell to the Yankees 11-0 in yet another disastrous game in Yankee Stadium. If you think things couldn’t get worse, brace yourself. With his heroics last night, Bellinger became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his first game against his former club.

The Yankees appear to have struck gold with Bellinger, with the 29-year-old clubbing 16 home runs on the season with 54 RBI, along with stellar defense in the outfield. Despite his strong performance in 2025, Bellinger’s bat has been replaced by Tucker, who is putting up almost identical numbers to Bellinger, albeit with slightly less prowess in the field.

Even with the benefit of hindsight, it is hard to declare who won the trade. Once the Cubs acquired Tucker, Bellinger’s days as a Cub were numbered, as he faced a logjam with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ, alongside the emergence of Michael Busch at first base. The Cubs knew playing time was going to be hard to come by for Bellinger, and decided to get what value they could for him. 

Bellinger was owed $52.5 million over this year and next, money that was picked up by the Yankees. As of yet, the Cubs have yet to do anything meaningful with those funds. The obvious choice would be to put that money toward an extension for Tucker, but the money gives the Cubs some flexibility to bolster the roster at the deadline should they choose.

From the beginning, the Cody Bellinger trade was always going to be judged by the subsequent moves that followed it. If the Cubs manage to find a way to keep Tucker, it will be in part thanks to the money saved by trading Bellinger. If Bellinger continues to dominate in New York while Tucker walks in free agency, the move will go down as one of the most short-sighted trades in Cubs history.