ESPN: The Yankees have acquired a former MVP star for $80 million in a blockbuster MLB trade.
The future of Juan Soto has been the center of attention, but the New York Yankees also need to fill other roster gaps this summer. Emmanuel Berbari, a Yankees radio analyst, proposed a crazy blockbuster trade proposal in which the Chicago Cubs would assist New York with hitting and fielding.
In the proposed trade, the Yankees get former gold glover Nico Hoerner and former NL MVP Cody Bellinger. As part of the trade, New York sends pitcher Will Warren, two-time All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman, and outfield prospect Spencer Jones to Chicago.
While New York adds some bats, Chicago gets pitching assistance. Here’s why Berbari thinks the Yankees should make this historic trade offer.
In a November 14, 2024, episode of “SNY: Baseball Night in New York,” Berbari noted, “The Yankees address two of their major needs.”Perhaps you have an outfield injury, Bellinger, so plug him right in that first base.Bellinger, who might be a rental but could exercise the [player] option after this year, is the ideal [Anthony] Rizzo replacement.
And I adore the fit, Hoerner. The Yankees need more top-of-the-order players who can bat to ball. A youthful, talented middle infielder. The money sort of works out, and it’s the ideal blockbuster exchange. Bellinger won’t require the Yankees to increase salary significantly.
Would the Yankees Re-Sign Juan Soto and Accept Cody Bellinger’s Three-Year, $80 Million Contract?
Bellinger has two seasons left on a three-year, $80 million contract with the Cubs, so it’s not exactly a steal. Bellinger’s 2025 salary is $27.5 million, and he has a $25 million player option for 2026.
Hoerner has a more affordable three-year contract at $35 million. The infielder is capable of playing shortstop and second base. In 2025, Hoerner is expected to earn $11.5 million.
The Yankees would be terminating Stroman’s $37 million, two-year contract. It is simple to understand why the Yankees would find the transaction attractive, but the Cubs may find it difficult to accept this trade.
The Yankees are battling to re-sign Juan Soto with rivals like the Red Sox and Mets.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are hopeful about the team’s chances of signing Soto after meeting with the slugger in Southern California. “Mets owner Steve Cohen led a contingent of high-ranking club officials to meet with coveted free agent superstar Juan Soto on Saturday in Orange County, Calif., The Post has learned,” Heyman wrote in a story titled, “Steve Cohen, Mets have’very detailed’ meeting with Juan Soto in California.” The Yankees are up against a lot of competition for the superstar in MLB free agency, and New York’s main rivals could be the team’s biggest rivals.
The Mets are still considered as one of the favorites for the services of 26-year-old Soto, who helped the Yankees to the World Series in his first season in the Bronx in 2024 and is the top winter priority of both New York teams, according to all indications that the meeting went incredibly well. The Mets presentation was reportedly “very detailed” and a “big production.”
