Money remains at the center of the Cody Bellinger to New York Yankees trade rumor

Following the trade of superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Chicago Cubs seem to have follow-up moves in the works.

Shortly after the Cubs officially announced the trade for Tucker, the team officially announced the signing of veteran catcher Carson Kelly to a two-year deal. In the aftermath of the two moves that were officially completed on Friday, it seems that the next trade that is lined up is a deal involving Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees.

After losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets and finishing behind the Cubs in their efforts to trade for Tucker, the Yankees seem to be zeroing in on Bellinger. In an update on the trade talks between the Cubs and Yankees, Jon Heyman reports that money remains the issue.

"As for Bellinger, the Yankees still want the Cubs to pick up a chunk of the two years and $52.5 million remaining on his contract — which includes a $25 million opt-out for 2026. The sides were believed to be more than $10 million apart on an agreement, a source said," Heyman reported.

During his Saturday morning radio show, Inside The Clubhouse, Bruce Levine reported the Cubs and Yankees have discussed a variety of trades involving Bellinger, including trades where "infielders and pitchers" would be added.

If the Yankees and Cubs can't reach an agreement on the money, it's possible that New York may try to slide veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu into a theoretical deal. LeMahieu, at this stage of his career, shouldn't be viewed as the answer at third base for the Cubs but could be an insurance policy for Matt Shaw. However, given his OPS+ of 51 and 96 over the last two seasons, the Cubs likely wouldn't be thrilled with that idea unless it came in addition to a pitching prospect such as Will Warren.