Former Cubs Slugger Cody Bellinger Has Been Thriving With Yankees

With the season rolling on for the Chicago Cubs, one of their former players has performed very well of late.

It was a chaotic offseason for the Cubs this past winter. After winning 83 games for the two campaigns prior, Chicago got aggressive, trying to improve the team and add a star.

Despite being in a big market, the Cubs didn’t go about this by bringing in a star free agent. Instead, the team elected to trade for Houston Astros slugger Kyle Tucker. While this addition was a steep one in terms of the talent that they gave up, he has been able to lead this lineup for the most part.

So far this season, Tucker has slashed .271/.384/.474 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI in 111 games played. With a WAR over 4.0, he has certainly lived up to the high expectations.

However, while the addition of the star outfielder has worked out, a corresponding move made by the team might have been a mistake.

Not long after they acquired Tucker, Chicago elected to trade Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. After losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets in free agency, Bellinger was brought in to help replace that production and has been a good addition.

Was trading Bellinger a mistake?

Former Chicago Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger — Aug 4, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) in action during the game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In 105 games with New York, Bellinger has slashed .276/.328/.496 with 20 home runs and 66 RBI.

While Tucker does have a higher WAR than Bellinger, it is a bit surprising to see him with more home runs and RBI. While the Yankees have been struggling quite a bit, their slugger has been performing extremely well, especially of late.

Even though he has been performing great with his new team, it did make sense at the time for the Cubs to make an upgrade. In 2024, Bellinger slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI in 130 games.

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While it wasn’t a bad season for the slugger by any means, he didn’t move the needle much for Chicago, and Tucker is certainly a higher caliber of player at this stage.

What is a bit frustrating to see is the lack of return that the Cubs got for him in hindsight. He has been a great player for New York this year, and Chicago didn’t get much to show for him.

Overall, while the decision at the time was likely the right move, Bellinger is thriving with the Yankees and making his former team potentially regret the decision to deal him.

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