These 2 former Cubs veterans thriving with new teams isn't necessarily a bad thing

It was not fun to see a Chicago Cubs fan favorite like Cody Bellinger get traded to the New York Yankees in a move made just to be rid of his contract. The Cubs acquired All-Star Kyle Tucker to play right field and plan to go with Michael Busch at first, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Seiya Suzuki at DH, which made Bellinger (who will not and should not be used in a utility or bench role) an odd man out. He hit .423 with four home runs with New York this spring and looks healthy going into the 2025 season.

He was not nearly as popular given his struggles with Chicago, but another former All-Star moved on from the Cubs this offseason in infielder Isaac Paredes. He was part of that deal that brought Tucker to Chicago from the Houston Astros. Paredes, having just turned 26, is a career 9.7 fWAR player with a 117 wRC+ in 464 career games.

Much has been made about these two playing in their new home ballparks, both being pull hitters in short pull-side dimension stadiums. Yankee Stadium has the right field short porch 314 feet down the line, and Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) is 315 feet down the left field line to the Crawford Boxes. Bellinger is a career 45 percent pull and 44 percent fly ball hitter while Paredes is a career 53 percent pull and 45 percent fly ball hitter. They hit from opposite sides of the plate, but carry similar career pull and fly ball numbers. Bellinger has changed his approach a bit in recent years, but he can still pull out the driver when needed.

Long story short, they can both take advantage of playing half their games in these ballparks and being in ideal situations for them that they would not get with the Cubs. Bellinger will get to play every day in New York, and if he is healthy, he could set himself up for a chance to opt out again at the season's end. Paredes, a guy who did not have the most ideal swing for Wrigley Field's deep well areas, can try to feast on the Crawford boxes. It's worth noting that Paredes' expected home run total last year playing at Daikin Park would have been 26 vs. 13 at Wrigley.

Time will tell what happens, but there is a very real scenario where Bellinger plays closer to his 2023 levels in New York and Paredes is a 30-home run guy in Houston.

This scenario does not have to be the end of the world if you are a Cubs fan...as long as the Cubs are seeing success of their own. Paredes might not hurt as much either way, seeing as his short tenure in Chicago was not spectacular and concerns about his pull-heavy swing with the deep Wrigley lines were brought up when he arrived last summer. Plus, the arrival of top prospect Matt Shaw will certainly help at the hot corner.

Bellinger on the other hand, who was the team's MVP in 2023, could hurt more if, say, Busch has a down sophomore year. They chose their path at first with Busch, which could have alternatively been Bellinger in 2025. A lot is riding on Busch's success at first this season, but if he continues to succeed, it will soften the blow of losing Bellinger. It can still be the right choice for the Cubs

Teams trade good players all the time in any sport when there is a need to shake things up or make way for other, better-fitted personnel. Quality teams will make parting with valuable players work even if they succeed elsewhere, and hopefully the Cubs can do just that in 2025.