Biggest Winner on the Cubs After Cody Bellinger’s New Deal
Well, it didn’t really seem like the Cubs were still players for Cody Bellinger after signing Alex Bregman, but if you were one of the fans still holding out hope on a reunion Bellingr’s new deal with the Yankees has officially ended that possibility.
Despite previous rumors that the Yankees were ready to move on from Bellinger they also seemed like the only team willing to actually pay him anything close to his contract demands. The left-handed hitter didn’t receive the seven-year, $240 million deal that was his rumored asking price, but the Yankees did extend a healthy five-year, $162.5 million contract to keep Bellinger around in the Bronx.
The new contract for Bellinger comes with no deferred money, a full no-trade clause and the ability to opt out following the second or third year of the deal. Yet, as you take a closer look at the agreement you’ll notice that Bellinger is pretty much incentivized to opt out after 2027, seeing as he’ll earn $85 million in the first two years of the deal, which includes a $20 million signing bonus in 2026.
Bellinger opted out of his three-year deal that he originally signed with the Cubs heading into 2024 back in November. He was traded to the Yankees last offseason in what was essentially a salary dump as the Cubs didn’t use the money saved to bring in another difference-maker for the 2025 season.
While it’s a great fit for both sides, the way this contract is structured also makes you think the Yankees don’t really want to fully commit to Bellinger on a long-term deal. The 30-year-old did have a good first year in New York, ending the season with a 125 wRC+ and 29 home runs in 152 games. However, Bellinger certainly benefited from playing at Yankee Stadium because his home/road splits were drastic.
Cody Bellinger 2025 Home/Road Splits
Home: 80 G, 337 PA, .302/.365/.544, 152 wRC+, 18 HR, 33 XBH
Road: 72 G, 319 PA, .241/.301/.414, 97 wRC+, 11 HR, 26 XBH
So, what does Bellinger re-signing with the Yankees have to do with the Cubs? Well, there’s one player extremely happy to see the Cubs not bring back Bellinger because his presence in the lineup would have meant a diminished role for rookie Moises Ballesteros.
Again, maybe this was the plan all along and the rumors of signing Bellinger were exaggerated, but now that Kyle Tucker is with the Dodgers and Owen Caissie has been traded to the Marlins, Seiya Suzuki will be the starting right fielder for the Cubs, leaving the DH spot open for Ballesteros.
Considering the Cubs were telling teams that Ballesteros was off the table back at the trade deadline you could already guess how much the team loved his future potential on the roster. At that point in 2025, Ballesteros had a total of 20 plate appearances in the majors and was mainly an emergency call up option from Triple-A.
The prolific left-handed hitter got a bigger opportunity in September, filling in for Tucker who was on the injured list. Ballesteros did what he does best, rake, earning a spot on the Cubs’ postseason roster. In his first stint in MLB, Ballesteros slashed .298/.394/.474, with two home runs in 66 plate appearances.
In September, Ballesteros was 13-for-39 at the plate in 14 games.
While there were some fans wanting Bellinger back other Cubs fans worried that another position player coming in would mean fewer plate appearances for Ballesteros. Now, those worries are gone and the pathway is clear for Ballesteros to continue his development in the big leagues with regular playing time with the Cubs in 2026.