Some big news broke yesterday with the announcement of OF/1B Cody Bellinger being shipped to the New York Yankees. After several weeks of speculation, the Chicago Cubs finally dealt the former MVP after he declined to opt out of his 3-year, $80 million deal he signed prior to the 2024 season.
The full trade had the Cubs sending Bellinger and $5 million to the Yankees in return for RP Cody Poteet; a seemingly small return for the 2-time all-star, but one that makes more sense when considering the fact that there is still $52.5 million left on his contract.
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
Now that the Yankees have added Bellinger, the 1B market might look a bit different. In his time with the Dodgers and Cubs, Bellinger played both the outfield and first base, even winning a Gold Glove as a RF in 2019. The Yankees have holes in both the outfield and at first base, so it remains to be seen where the Yankees have him play, but from the Nationals' point of view, Bellinger becoming the Yankees 1B would be the best case scenario.
Could take one team out of the Alonso/Walker/Goldschmidt market … https://t.co/3ww5NWvVBi
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) December 17, 2024
ESPN reports that Bellinger's elite defense at first base may prompt the Yankees to have him play at the position, especially considering that their young CF Jasson Dominguez is waiting in the wings. If that is the case, the 1B market would become much more viable for the Nationals. Even if the Yankees still have interest in a first baseman, they may be looking at cheaper options after signing Max Fried and trading for Bellinger and Devin Williams.
Just in: MLB Network reports the Nationals have interest in 1B Pete Alonso pic.twitter.com/9gdxfg6vIB
— Kev (@klwoodjr) December 18, 2024
The Yankees would have been among the highest bidders for Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, so potentially having them out of the running could make a potential free agent deal more affordable for the Nationals if they do in fact have any interest in pursuing a big name this offseason. Of course, there are other teams in the market for first basemen, with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, and Astros reportedly also having interest in Walker and the Mets still engaged with Alonso. The Nationals have shown interest in both Alonso and Walker, so the hope of signing a big bat to cover first base is still alive, and with the Yankees possibly out of the running for the top names at the position, now is the time to make a deal for Mike Rizzo and the Nationals.