{"id":371983,"date":"2025-12-26T00:55:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/371983\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T00:55:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:55:09","slug":"mlb-trade-rumors-new-york-yankees-predicted-to-resign-80-million-ex-chicago-cubs-superstar-to-form-terrifying-trio-with-grisham-and-judge-mlb-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/371983\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB trade rumors: New York Yankees predicted to resign $80 million ex-Chicago Cubs superstar to form terrifying trio with Grisham and Judge | MLB News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MLBNew York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge (Image via AP Photo\/Pamela Smith) The New York Yankees want Cody Bellinger back. After what he did in 2025, the front office sees him as a key piece rather than a short-term stopgap. A reunion would lock in an everyday outfield with Aaron Judge<\/a> and Trent Grisham and give the lineup a clear shape going forward.This is not about a trade. Bellinger became a free agent after opting out, and the Yankees are trying to keep something that already worked. They believe the mix of power, defense, and flexibility is hard to replace.<\/p>\n

Why the New York Yankees want this done<\/p>\n

Cody Bellinger arrived from the Chicago Cubs in December 2024 and fit in right away. He stayed healthy, played multiple positions, and produced over a full season. After opting out of his final $25 million year and taking the $5 million buyout, he hit the market at 30 with momentum on his side.Brian Cashman has kept the focus on re-signing him even after Grisham accepted a $22 million qualifying offer. Other teams are interested, including the Mets and Dodgers, but the New York Yankees are selling continuity. Everyday at-bats, a park that suits his swing, and protection in the order all matter here.Contract projections are wide. Some land around six years and $180 million. Others climb much higher if bidding heats up. The Yankees are weighing cost against the risk of trying to replace his production elsewhere.<\/p>\n

What Cody Bellinger gave them in 2025<\/p>\n

\"Cody<\/p>\n

Cody Bellinger (Image via Getty)<\/p>\n

Cody Bellinger\u2019s season was steady and reliable. He played 152 games, hit for power without selling out, and gave the lineup balance.PlayerAVG\/OBP\/SLGHRRBIGamesfWAR (est.)Defense Cody Bellinger .272\/.334\/.480 29 98 152 ~4.9 +7 OAA, OF\/1B Aaron Judge .331\/.457\/.688 53 114 152 Elite Strong RF arm Trent Grisham .235 est. \/ .353 wOBA 34 74 Full Solid Elite CFThe three combined for 116 home runs. Bellinger\u2019s contact helped pitchers think twice before pitching around Judge, and Grisham added power without losing value in center field.<\/p>\n

How the outfield works<\/p>\n

The alignment is simple. \u2022 Left field: Bellinger, with the option to move to first base \u2022 Center field: Grisham \u2022 Right field: JudgeThis setup also buys time for younger players like Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones. It creates a logjam, but it also gives the Yankees options.<\/p>\n

Upside and risk<\/p>\n

Pros: \u2022 Power across the outfield \u2022 Strong defense at all three spots \u2022 Less need to chase another expensive batCons: \u2022 A long deal adds luxury tax pressure \u2022 Normal aging and injury concerns \u2022 Fewer immediate chances for young outfielders<\/p>\n

The bigger picture<\/p>\n

If the Yankees finish this deal, they raise their baseline. Pitchers cannot work around Judge. Mistakes get punished. Late leads are harder to protect against this group.Also read: MLB trade rumors: New York Yankees could pivot towards $80 million Chicago Cubs hard-hitter after missing out on Kyle Tucker<\/a>An MLB.com report described the Yankees as \u201cstaying engaged\u201d with Bellinger and called him their top priority after the winter meetings. That sums it up. New York knows what worked last season and is trying to keep it together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge (Image via AP Photo\/Pamela Smith)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[6097,64,63,201210,7310,591,2704,85,7306],"class_list":{"0":"post-371983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-aaron-judge","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-bellinger-re-signing","12":"tag-cody-bellinger","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-new-york-yankees","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-trent-grisham"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}