Seattle Mariners Won't Be Trading For Cody Bellinger, as He's Been Dealt to Yankees

The Seattle Mariners had reportedly checked in on outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger this offseason, but all trade hopes were killed when Bellinger was dealt to the Yankees on Tuesday.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger (24) is greeted after scoring against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field on Sept 16. / David Banks-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs traded former National League MVP Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees in what amounts to a pure salary dump.

The Cubs are sending over $5 million in total to the Yankees while acquiring reliever Cody Poteet.

BREAKING: OF/1B Cody Bellinger has been traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees, sources tell ESPN. Bellinger, 29, is a former MVP and has two years remaining on his contract with an opt-out after 2025. Yankees continue to be aggressive post-Juan Soto.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 17, 2024

The Yankees have openings in the outfield after losing Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo this offseason, and they reportedly will use Bellinger in center field. The deal makes sense for them, and they have the financial flexibility to absorb Bellinger's big deal.

This deal impacts the Seattle Mariners in a few ways... First, the M's will need to play against Bellinger in 2025 more often since he's in the American League. Second, he'll have more of an impact on the M's spot in the standings, being that he'll be playing against the teams that the M's are battling with as well.

But most importantly, this move simply means that the Mariners won't be acquiring Bellinger themselves. The Mariners had reportedly checked in on Bellinger this offseason and have been linked to him for at least the last year.

The Mariners have a full outfield and have Luke Raley as a left-handed hitting first baseman, so the fit was always a little clunky, but the reports were out there nonetheless. The M's were undoubtedly turned off by Bellinger's contract, which could pay more than $50 million in total over the next two seasons.

The 29-year-old Bellinger is coming off a year in which he hit .266 for the Cubs, popping 18 home runs. A lifetime .259 hitter, Bellinger is an eight-year veteran of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cubs. He won the MVP in 2019 with the Dodgers when he hit 47 homers and drove in 115 runs.

He's a two-time All-Star.

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