The Cubs trade Cody Poteet in the most hilarious way possible

The Chicago Cubs lied to us.

Confirmation of that fact was given by the Cubs on Thursday when the team designated veteran right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet for assignment. Poteet was acquired by the Cubs in the trade that sent Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. Of course, Poteet's inclusion in the trade was an afterthought given that the Cubs were giving away Bellinger while saving $25MM as part of the deal.

Backers of the trade, and hand up, I was one of them, were confident that by the time Opening Day was reached, the Bellinger trade wouldn't have the impression of a salary. No less than two days after Opening Day and a salary dump is exactly what the Bellinger trade was.

Cubs confirm a hilarious truth in Cody Poteet trade.

The Cubs traded Poteet to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations. That's right, more money to go into the pockets of Tom Ricketts. After struggling with the Cubs during Cactus League games, Poteet had no chance of breaking camp with the Major League team, but considering he had minor-league options, there still was some surprise that the Cubs designated him for assignment. If anything, the Cubs trading Poteet to the Orioles just proves how desperate the front office was in trying to unload the money owed to Bellinger.

Of course, once the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker, a Bellinger trade became a formality. However, I would contest that it wasn't a move that the Cubs should have felt rushed into making. If anything, while not ideal from a defense standpoint, the Cubs could have entered the season with Bellinger at first base and Michael Busch at third base. Not that the Cubs would have wanted to move Busch off first base, but it would have at least created some form of leverage for them in trade talks.

Nevertheless, here we are with it being clear as day that the Bellinger trade was a salary dump. Considering the Cubs already entered the season approximately $30MM below the luxury tax threshold, it's a realization that is unsettling for what the future may hold for the team's spending considering the expected work stoppage after the 2026 season.