Yankees' offer in Cody Bellinger trade revealed as Cubs look to close deal

Jordan Campbell

Chicago Cubs v Philadelphia Phillies / Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages

In the immediate aftermath of the Winter Meetings, the Chicago Cubs look to be pushing two trades across the finish line.

The Cubs remain the frontrunner in a potential trade for Houston Astros' outfielder Kyle Tucker, with the latest suggesting that the Cubs have made Tucker their offseason priority moving forward. In a separate, yet, related move, the Cubs appear to be trying to finalize a trade that would send Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees.

While the Cubs were originally hoping that the Yankees would take on all of the remaining money on Bellinger's contract, $52.5MM if he opts in following the 2025 season, reports overnight were that the two sides were making progress with the Cubs willing to kick in some money.

In another sign that trade talks may be advancing, we now know the Yankees' prospect who the Cubs may get in exchange for Bellinger. Pat Ragazzo of the Yankees' Sports Illustrated website reports that New York pitching prospect Will Warren could be involved in the trade.

MLB Pipeline has Warren as the fifth-best prospect in the Yankees' system. In their projection of Warren at the Major League level, they envision him being a No. 4 starting pitcher in a starting rotation.

Warren made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2024, struggling to the tune of allowing 27 runs in 22.2 innings pitched. In particular, it was an August start against the Los Angeles Angels that did most of the damage to Warren's numbers during his brief stint at the Major League level.

It's worth noting that if the Cubs do acquire Tucker from the Astros, the trade would likely include one of Jordan Wicks, Ben Brown, Javier Assad, or Hayden Wesneski. Warren is not a flashy name but would provide depth lost in a potential trade for Tucker.

Jordan Campbell

For nearly 15 years, Jordan has been a workhorse across the FanSided network - including being the inaugural site expert for Cubbies Crib, as well as a stop at Da Windy City as the site expert. In addition to returning to be a Co-Site Expert at Cubbies Crib, Jordan was previously the Site Expert at Bear Goggles On. In the years since, Jordan has joined FanSided's full-time team, serving as a staff writer for the MLB division. Jordan's work can be seen across the MLB division, including a consistent presence on our Cubs, Twins, Astros, and Tigers sites. Since 2010, Jordan has dedicated his craft to providing insightful commentary on all things Chicago sports, and he has enjoyed his venture into all things Major League Baseball.