Last season, Bellinger played 49 games in right field for the Cubs, 48 ​​games in center field and 22 games at first base while batting .266 with 18 home runs . Wrigley Field played big for hitters in 2024, with Bellinger admitting it was “difficult at times” due to the elements. He was asked Thursday if he looked forward to hitting at Yankees Stadium and its short right field porch. Not long after Bellinger signed his 2025 contract, he found himself on the trade list. After the Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker from Houston last weekend, this clearly sealed his fate. Chicago will not pay him along with Tucker and Seiya Suzuki. Bellinger is owed $52.5 million over the next two seasons. Bellinger won the 2019 NL MVP award by hitting 47 homers for the Dodgers. Since then, the highest he has hit in a season is 26 homers for the Cubs in 2023. But the 29-year-old has become a better overall hitter despite hitting fewer home runs. Over the past two seasons, his strikeout rate has plummeted from the previous two years, while his productivity against left-handed pitchers has increased. He was asked if he could return to being the power hitter who helped him win MVP.

Bellinger will have better hitters around him in the Yankees lineup, so between that and the baseball field, there’s a good chance his power numbers could increase. He’s looking forward to pitching near Judge, the reigning AL MVP, in New York’s lineup. Bellinger is playing in his third major market after breaking into the big leagues with the Dodgers and then being traded to the Cubs for two seasons. He won MVP honors and was not signed. Now he is joining the most iconic franchise in the sport his father called home more than two decades ago.