Cody Bellinger trade needs to age before Chicago Cubs fans can fully digest it

Chicago Cubs fans were naturally disappointed Tuesday evening when fan-favorite Cody Bellinger was dealt to the New York Yankees for a relatively unknown pitcher in Cody Poteet. The move's main return was the Cubs eating only $5 million of Bellinger's salary which frees up money for them to be active in other moves.

So, yes, the ultimate goal of the trade itself was to dump Bellinger's salary. One could remember in 2020 when the Cubs traded Yu Darvish to the Padres to get that money off the books after the "biblical losses" from the pandemic and get a similar feeling. However, the circumstances here go beyond just not having to pay the money. It's part of a restructuring of a log-jammed roster.

There are more moves to come for the Cubs. They already made a huge one in the Kyle Tucker trade. There is your right fielder for 2025. Meanwhile, the Cubs are currently relying on Pete Crow-Armstrong to man centerfield and Michael Busch to play first base next year (you can probably shut down the idea of him going to third). Despite protests from his agent, Seiya Suzuki can be slotted in as the DH until further notice. Whether or not these are the right decisions in the end, or barring other big moves, there is just not a spot for Bellinger on the roster as it currently stands. He is not going to play a platoon/utility/bench role making $27.5 million.

It is not easy to trade a guy like Bellinger, he is a good and valuable ballplayer. In a Cubs uniform, he hit .286/.340/.475 with 44 home runs and .815 OPS in 260 games. He saw a career rejuvenation in 2023 when he hit .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers after signing a one-year "prove it" deal with the Cubs. While he will likely never be the 2016-2019 All-Star and MVP he was with the Dodgers, he still should have plenty in the tank. In a vacuum, you don't want to get rid of a player like that. Even if the logic of the trade is understood, it does not have to be seen as a "good" or "fun" trade by any means.

The Cody Bellinger trade can't be graded until the offseason is complete.

There is a scenario where the Cubs could regret not moving Bellinger to first in favor of Busch if he falls off and Bellinger thrives in New York. Who knows what Year 2 of PCA will bring, or if Suzuki not wanting to DH becomes a legitimate issue. There are a lot of uncertainties and trading away a proven commodity is a risk.

With everything said, there is a clear thought process behind this move; use Bellinger's salary to make more moves and change some things up on the North Side. Even if they wanted to go over the luxury tax and add more while keeping Bellinger, it still would have left the roster with a bit of a tough log jam. Whether the move is "right" or "wrong" in the long run, the Cubs are willing to make notable changes from a team that won 83 games in back-to-back years