Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees Made 'A Bit of Progress' On Cody Bellinger Trade

The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees continue to work toward a trade surrounding veteran outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger.

It is a move the Yankees have pivoted to after failing to sign the prize of the offseason, Juan Soto, losing out to the New York Mets.

The Cubs made Bellinger available to teams after the veteran chose not to exercise his opt-out to remain under contract for 2025 where he'll earn $27.5 million. He also has a player option for 2026 worth $25 million.

The veteran has garnered interest from multiple teams, but New York could be the front-runner, with Jon Heyman of The New York Post reporting the clubs made "a bit of progress" in their trade talks on Wednesday.

The hang-up so far has been money, with Chicago not wanting to pay any of Bellinger's salary while the Yankees don't want to take on all of the potential $52.5 million left on his deal.

After failing to sign Soto, however, money should not be an issue for New York, who offered $760 million for the superstar, missing out by only $5 million.

The Yankees have spent $218 million of that on left-handed pitcher Max Fried to bolster their rotation, but that adds only $27.2 million to their luxury tax payroll. They are currently $50 million shy of where their 2024 payroll sat at $308 million.

Adding Bellinger would fill the Bronx Bombers' need for a first baseman while adding more power to their already potent lineup.

Bellinger is a pull-hitting lefty, and the comically short porch in right field would play to his benefit and could see the veteran reach the 30-home run plateau for the first time since 2019.

There is still work to be done between these two teams to reach an agreement, but the slugger could still be wearing pinstripes in 2025, just not blue ones.