YANKEES ACQUIRE INF/OF CODY BELLINGER
The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired INF/OF Cody Bellinger and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for RHP Cody Poteet.
Bellinger, 29, hit .266 (137-for-516) with 72R, 23 doubles, 3 triples, 18HR, 78RBI, 45BB and 9SB in 130 games with the Cubs in 2024. Last season, he appeared defensively at all three outfield positions (49G/46GS in right field, 48G/47GS in centerfield and 1G in left field) and first base (22G/13GS). He also batted .331/.406/.515 (43-for-130) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 5HR, 58RBI, 19BB and 5SF with runners in scoring position.
Over eight Major League seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017-22) and Chicago Cubs (2023-24), the left-handed batter has hit .259/.334/.484 (942-for-3,642) with 601 R, 186 doubles, 23 triples, 196 HR, 597 RBI, 412 BB and 91 SB in 1,005 games. Bellinger made the postseason six times with the Dodgers (2017-22) and won the World Series with the club in 2020. In 2018, he was named the NLCS MVP after delivering two game-winning hits during the series.
A two-time All-Star (2017, ’19) and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2019, ’23), Bellinger was named the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player after hitting a career-high 47 home runs. He has finished in the top-10 of National League MVP voting three times (first in 2019, ninth in 2017 and 10th in 2023). Additionally, he was also the 2017 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year and the 2023 National League Comeback Player of the Year.
Bellinger has appeared at first base (343G/271GS) and all three outfield positions in his career, playing 509 games (449 starts) in centerfield, 182 games (155 starts) in right field and 41 games (37 starts) in left field. In 2019, Bellinger won a Gold Glove in right field.
With Cody’s father, Clay, playing for the Yankees from 1999-2001, the Bellingers will become the fourth father/son duo in Yankees history to both play for the club, joining Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr., Ron Davis and Ike Davis, and Yogi Berra and Dale Berra.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., native was originally selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers on November 18, 2022. He signed a one-year contract with the Cubs on December 14, 2022 and re-signed with the club to a three-year contract on February 27, 2024.
Poteet, 30, went 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA (24.1IP, 18H, 7R/6ER, 8BB, 16K, 2HR) in five games (four starts) with the Yankees in 2024. Over parts of three Major League seasons with the Miami Marlins (2021-22) and Yankees (2024), the right-handed pitcher has gone 5-4 with a 3.80 ERA (83.0IP, 66H, 36R/35ER, 35BB, 69K, 13HR) in 24 career games (13 starts). The San Diego, Calif., native was selected by Miami in the fourth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA. Poteet was signed by the Yankees to a Major League contract on January 5, 2023.