Cubs Rumors: Pulling off a Cody Bellinger trade with the Yankees is the key to it all

For at least one day, Cody Bellinger wasn't the name taking center stage this offseason. The Chicago Cubs' pursuit of Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker stole the show on the final day of the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings - and although the two sides haven't agreed on a deal - those rumors had everyone on edge heading to bed Wednesday night.

But if you think Bellinger isn't part of this equation, think again. The New York Yankees are reportedly the Cubs' biggest competition for Tucker - and they're also said to be talking with the Cubs about a deal for Bellinger, but the two sides are at odds over whether or not Chicago needs to eat some of his contract to facilitate a trade.

Bellinger will make $27.5 million in 2025 and has an opt-out at season's end, the same as he did this year. If he exercises the opt-out, the Cubs owe him $5 million - bringing the one-year cost to $32.5 million. Should he stick around for the 2026 campaign, his total price tag comes out to $52.5 million over the next two years.

If Jed Hoyer and Brian Cashman can find a solution and get a Bellinger deal done, it could pave the way for the Cubs to land Tucker - if only for one year. Trading Bellinger would also lower the temperature between the organization and outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Given how that relationship wound up in the news this week, both due to trade speculation and dissatisfaction with his role, getting on the same page sooner rather than later would benefit everyone involved.

Given everyone - Bellinger and his agent Scott Boras included - know he's likely on the move, getting that done and shifting your focus to the rest of the offseason could be critical for the Cubs' front office. Freeing up those dollars before the free-agent market is picked over could really make a difference in the options they have to choose from.

No one knows what the final trade that ends Bellinger's time in Chicago will look like - but it feels inevitable that it will happen this winter. For multiple reasons, it needs to be the front office's top priority coming out of this week's Winter Meetings in Dallas.