All eyes have been on Juan Soto’s future, but the New York Yankees have other roster holes to fill this offseason as well. Yankees radio analyst Emmanuel Berbari floated a wild blockbuster trade propsal that has New York getting some hitting and fielding help from the Chicago Cubs.
The Yankees land former NL MVP winner Cody Bellinger and former gold glover Nico Hoerner in the proposed trade. New York sends the following trio to Chicago as part of the deal: outfield prospect Spencer Jones, pitcher Will Warren and two-time All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Chicago nets pitching help while New York adds some bats. Here’s why Berbari believes this blockbuster trade pitch makes sense for the Yankees.
“Yankees address two of their major needs,” Berbari explained in a November 14, 2024, edition of “SNY: Baseball Night in New York.”Bellinger, plug him right in that first base, maybe you have an injury in the outfield. …That’s a perfect [Anthony] Rizzo replacement in Bellinger who could just be a rental, but he also could exercise the [player] option after this year.
“And Hoerner, I love the fit. The Yankees need more bat to ball guys, top of the order type. Still [a] young talent, middle infielder. It’s the perfect blockbuster trade, and the money sort of works out, too. The Yankees won’t have to add too much payroll with Bellinger.
Would the Yankees Be Willing to Take on Cody Bellinger’s 3-Year, $80 Million Contract While Re-Signing Juan Soto?
It is not exactly a bargain deal for Bellinger, as the star has two seasons remaining on a three-year, $80 million contract with the Cubs. Bellinger has a $27.5 million salary for 2025 and a player option of $25 million for 2026.
Hoerner comes with a more reasonable three-year, $35 million deal. The infielder can play both second base and shortstop. Hoerner is slated to have an $11.5 million salary for 2025.
The Yankees would be getting rid of Stroman’s two-year, $37 million contract. It is easy to see why the deal would be appealing for the Yankees, but this trade could be a hard sell for the Cubs.
The Yankees Are in a Fight With Rivals Like the Red Sox & Mets to Re-Sign Juan Soto
As for Soto, the Yankees are facing a fierce competition for the superstar in MLB free agency. New York’s main competition may be coming from the team’s biggest rivals in the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are optimistic about the team’s chances to sign 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 November 16, story titled, “Steve Cohen, Mets have ‘very detailed’ meeting with Juan Soto in California.”
“All signs suggest the meeting went extremely well, and the Mets remain viewed as one of the favorites for the services of the 26-year-old Soto, who helped the Yankees reach the World Series in his initial season in The Bronx in 2024 and is the top winter priority of both New York teams. Word is the Mets presentation was a “big production” and ‘very detailed.’”
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