Amid an offseason that has not been ideal, the Yankees found an ideal target.
In the aftermath of losing out on Juan Soto, among the Yankees needs were a first baseman and center fielder, hopefully with a strong glove; preferably a lefty bat with a tendency of pulling the ball; probably someone with a history of playing in big markets (maybe even with some Yankees lineage); and, as they always hope, someone who wanted to be in pinstripes.
Cody Bellinger checked off every box.
The outfielder/first baseman was acquired on Tuesday, when the Yankees sent Cody Poteet to the Cubs and got back a player whose only true downside was a contract that has two years and $52.5 million remaining (with a player opt-out after next season, and with the Cubs responsible for $5 million).
The Yankees were happy to land a gifted athlete who is a nearly perfect fit for the roster.
The feeling apparently was mutual.
“He’s a good baseball player and someone that wants to be here,” GM Brian Cashman said Wednesday at the Stadium, where the club introduced Max Fried. “Been hearing it for a long time, including his agent, Scott Boras, saying, ‘Can you get him over here? He’s driving me crazy. He wants to be a Yankee.’ ”
Bellinger’s desire helped, but his game was a bigger factor to the Yankees.
The 29-year-old has authored one of the strangest active careers in the majors.
He arrived as a top prospect who lived up to the hype, NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and MVP in 2019 with the Dodgers.
His rise gave way to a plummet in 2021-22, when he was among the worst hitters in baseball (with a combined .611 OPS) that might have been related to November 2020 shoulder surgery.
The one-time MVP was non-tendered by the Dodgers and signed with the Cubs, where he bounced back in 2023 with a much more contact-oriented approach and then dipped in 2024, when he posted a .751 OPS with 18 home runs in 130 games.
If Bellinger — a lefty swinger who has pulled 43 percent of his batted balls through eight seasons — had played all his games in The Bronx last season, Statcast estimates he would have hit six more home runs.
“His swing is built for Yankee Stadium,” said Cashman, who pointed out that the Yankees essentially have 87 home games next season because Steinbrenner Field, where the Rays will be hosting games, is configured with the exact same dimensions. “He puts the ball in the air on the pull side.”
“I really believe he’s going to play up offensively in our yard,” added manager Aaron Boone.
The swing fits and so does the glove.
It is harder to find a center fielder than a first baseman, so the best bet would be that Bellinger plays the outfield and the Yankees add a first baseman, but his flexibility gives the team options.
Cashman said he still does not know where Bellinger will play, and Boone said Bellinger is willing to play anywhere.
“Talked to him [Tuesday] night at length,” Boone said. “One thing he told me before I even broached the subject of where you’re playing: He’s like, ‘By the way, don’t worry about where you play me, I’ll play wherever. Wherever you need me that night — center, left, first.’”
Bellinger, who has not yet been formally introduced as a Yankee, appears to know what to say — perhaps because he learned from his father, Clay, a Yankees utilityman from 1999-2001.
Cashman, who had acquired the father, too, slipped once and referred to Cody as Clay.
“He’s definitely really excited for [Cody],” Cashman said of Clay.