The Cubs have seemingly been trying to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger for weeks, with the Yankees the club most often connected to Bellinger. Recent reports have suggested that the two clubs have been facing a gap in negotiations, however. It was reported over the weekend by Jon Heyman of The New York Post that the Yankees were considering various alternatives, which was echoed this afternoon by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Heyman’s report from the weekend suggested that the Yankees were considering trade candidates like Josh Naylor of the Guardians and Nathaniel Lowe of the Rangers, as well as free agents Pete Alonso, Christian Walker or Carlos Santana. Nightengale’s framing is similar, saying that the Yankees are engaged with those three free agents as well as Paul Goldschmidt.
Those free agents will all come with very different price points, mostly due to age. Alonso is easily the youngest at 30 years old. Walker will turn 34 in March, Goldschmidt is 37 and Santana turns 39 in April. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Alonso for a five-year, $125MM deal, with Walker at $60MM over three years and Goldschmidt projected for $15MM on a one-year pact. Santana wasn’t mentioned after signing with the Twins for $5.25MM via a one-year deal last winter, though he could earn a raise after a strong 2024 season.
The Yankees still have several moving pieces in their offseason, so their first base move will come in conjunction with moves elsewhere. They also need a left fielder and one more infielder, likely a third baseman with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving to second base, though adding at the keystone is also a possibility. Further bullpen moves could also be considered while the rotation arguably still has a surplus, even after the Yanks got Devin Williams for Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin.
For those various openings, they have been connected to guys like Alex Bregman, Teoscar Hernández, Anthony Santander, Bellinger and others, as well as these various first base candidates. How much they spend on one spot could naturally have an impact on how much they spend on another. RosterResource currently projects the club for a payroll of $245MM next year, while they were in the $300MM range in 2024.
Goldschmidt will likely be relatively affordable compared to Alonso or Walker, at least in terms of contract length. Given his age and recent downturn in performance, he’s likely looking at a one-year deal. He won National League Most Valuable Player in 2022 by hitting 35 home runs and slashing .317/.404/.578 for a 175 wRC+, but he’s fallen off since.
Last year, it was 25 home runs, a .268/.363/.447 batting line and 122 wRC+. In 2024, he hit 22 homers with a .245/.302/.414 slash and 100 wRC+, indicating he was exactly league average at the plate for the year. Apart from his rookie debut in 2011, his walk and strikeout rates were both career worsts in 2024, coming in at 7.2% and 26.5% respectively.
Given his age, those could be taken as signs of the start of a decline, though there’s perhaps some optimism to be found in his strong finish. He produced a line of .230/.291/.373 and an 87 wRC+ in the first half of 2024, then a .271/.319/.480 line and 120 wRC+ in the latter half. Either way, he shouldn’t be able to secure a massive payday this winter, but there’s also more risk with him than with someone like Alonso or Walker.
The Yankees will presumably be weighing all these different options as they decide where to put their resources. There’s nothing to say that they can’t get Bellinger and a free agent first baseman, as Bellinger could be slotted into left field, though the Yanks have other options there if they can’t line up with the Cubs on a trade.
Nope.
Better than Bellinger
seamaholic: In what world is Goldschmidt better than Bellinger? I want Bellinger in the outfield, 1st would be a fallback option with him. Get Walker or make a trade and the team would be done. I’m in the minority I guess but, I’d be fine seeing the multiple internal candidates battle for 2nd. There’s also that KBO guy floating around who might not hit much in MLB but is supposedly great with the glove and will only require a modest contract.
Bellinger is Chris Davis jr.3 years ago, he batted .160!
Yeah 3 years ago, as he was coming back from injury. He has seemingly put that behind him. He might not be an mvp caliber player anymore but he’s definitely not that .160 batting average player either!
jersey… Braves… No, he’s two years past that stage and played well for the Cubs… And how do you think his LH bat would play with that short porch in RF?
Braves_saints
What you said. Belli is no longer the stud nor the dud. He is a positionally-versatile above average defender with a decent bat, his 2024 2.2 WAR is a reasonable expectation. Belli is clearly worth $20 million per year, Goldie is worth half that.
Agree with jerseyjohn. Goldy looked pretty cooked last year and the Yanks could really ned a lefty hitter. This story is nothing more than Heyman being a mouthpiece for Cashman and trying to add leverage in order to get Hoyer to blink.
I like Jon Heyman, but he is notorious for this.
I think the Yanks would prefer a LH firstbaseman due to the porch in right field; probably why Bellinger is a player they’re attracted too. Walker and Goldschmidt are RH and unable to play another position.
Still surprised that the Yankees don’t seem to be connected to LaMonte Wade Jr. whose glove and OBP are elite. His HRs would absolutely go up playing in Yankee Stadium.
If by $20M you mean $8M, yeah, I guess bellingers worth that (barely)
Maybe 3yrs ago!
Belli was 2.2 WAR in 2024, Goldie 1.3, Belli has multi-positional defense. Goldie in his prime was great, but those days are gone.
Let’s not pretend finances don’t matter. A ~$15M/year difference plus luxury tax makes Goldschmidt a solid play for a year or two, then Judge gets moved over to first.
Yeah I’m surprised so many Yankee fans hate this idea. Considering the black hole of production at first base and the dearth of good options and the possibility of him being the next Matt Carpenter, I would be down with taking a flyer with Goldy.
@Poisoned
I don’t think Judge is that close to be moved to 1st.
Judge’s going to be 33 in April = two more years in right, then move him to first to save the legs. His athleticism is his biggest asset vs. the traditional big man’s aging curve, so you want to preserve those legs as long as possible.
“Interested in” needs context. He had a .839 ops against LHP last year, hit .266/.316/.457/.772 away from Busch stadium and .271/.319/.480/.799 in the second half. Taking a 1yr flier as a platoon+ type player isn’t absurd if the money is reasonable. If anything you would think yankee fans would have some optimism given how random Matt Carpenters 2022 was.
Desperate times…….
Cashman fallback options
“It was reported over the weekend by Jon Heyman”
Tells you all you need to know.
And Jon Heyman, like all “league sources” means, “heard it at a bar”.
…in Miami!
So they are done with fat boy Rizzo?
Hey, show some respect! That’s World Series Champion Fat Boy Rizzo to you mister!
News flash! He’s never won a World Series.
News flash! Yes he has!
Where you either not born yet or asleep in 2016?
Was under a bridge since 16
Hey coop.. You follow baseball?
Oops. Had your head in the sand on that one.
Rizzo is not fat and has more class in his pinky than your whole body and life
Thanks for showing us you know nothing about baseball without saying you don’t know anything about baseball.
Cooper Hill
Every Cubs fan out there just laughed at you.
Newbie fan detected….
Yikes such conviction…
Too bad there’s no gifs here…
Done with Rizzo and Torres and hopefully DJL
Rizzo hasn’t been the same since the concussion. He did well for the Yankees with that short porch. Miss him on the Cubs. Still holds one of the best World Series win photos taking the last out and stuffing the ball in hit back pocket.
“Not a good idea, Billy”
Yes please sign him! Take him for free! I’d love to watch the washed out goldy highjack your lineup! What a thrill!
Washed out or not he’d be an upgrade over what the Yanks had the last couple seasons.
the hang-up in a Cubs-Yankees Bellinger deal is under $10MM, potentially as low as $5MM, which is hilarious considering that NYY was prepared to put $760M into one man.
I’m starting to think Hal was just driving up the price for Cohen.
What makes you think the Yankees even bid $600 million?
I don’t.
@Heels because it was reported by several sources??? Otherwise, without the Yanks competing offer, why works the Mets offer $765-$805 mil?
I can see that happening. 765 million and with another 45 plus perks that will exceed 15 million. Happy the yanks didn’t go that far. Mets need a lot more if they think they can overcome lad, SD, Phillys and Braves. Good luck with Soto
Robert Nelson:
Thanks for your concern, but I’m sure the Mets will do what they need to this off-season. The Yankees on the other hand? Not so sure.
Comparing apples to oranges is a futile exercise.
yes, comparing one fruit to another fruit, like one left handed power hitting outfielder that fills NYY’s needs to the other left handed power hitting outfielder that fills NYY needs. totally futile.
But it is a fruital exercise.
That was a 15 year deal on a super Star!
I don’t think it’s just the money that’s holding up a Bellinger trade. The Cubs seem to want the Yankees to take on the majority of the contract and still receive a decent prospect in return. The Yankees would obviously want to give up less if they are taking on a large sum of the contract. The Cubs have more of a burden in trying to unload a player without a roster spot in this situation
It’s a matter of who blinks first. Once Santander and Teo get signed, the Cubs will concede and pay down his salary. The problem is the Cubs’ targeted free agent players will also have signed.
I have no horse in the race and think after all the posturing, the deal (Bellinger to NYY) will get done. Cubs want out of Belli’s contract, Yanks see Belli as a good fit.
That money is over 15 years dude. Annually the Yanks have spent enough money so stop. Also what I know is truth is that giving up 2 more draft picks and an additional 1 million in international money would definitely hurt. So it’s not just about the money if anyone out there knows this.
Actually that’s not accurate….
Apparently it’s “leak to the press that we’re looking at alternatives” time in the Yanks’ effort to get the Cubs to pay off Bellinger’s contract. Guess this tells Yanks fans whether Hal is going to spend all $750M. Nope. One big signing to distract the masses, then back to Cheapo Hal.
Who is available to sign that would be worthy of the additional $500MM+ that wasn’t spent on Soto or Fried. Spending money for the sake of appeasing the fans is bad practice
Lots of players out there that, added together, equal $500M. How many top SPs does it take to get to $500M? Not many. And the Yanks have other holes.
I’m gonna need some names, not just blanket statements. There’s also no reason to spend that money just for the sake of spending it. The Yankees were willing to go that high on Soto because he’s an elite talent in his mid 20s. I suspect they will strongly pursue Tucker next year to be the long term Soto replacement
@PJ
Hal gave Cole 9/$324, the largest deal given to a pitcher. Then gave Todon 6/$162 mil. Then just gave Fried the largest contract given to a lefty pitcher at 8/$218. The last thing I think you can call him is being cheap. Aside from the Mets I think they’re likely the 2nd highest spending team this winter.
He’s no George. It’s apparent to all. No real commitment to winning. The Yankees COULD do a lot more. But Hal wants the money. The Yankees are just another widget factory to him. If Yankees fans are honest with themselves, this is not news.
@PJ
I completely disagree with you. Let’s please not romanticize the Boss era. From 1982 to 1993 they accomplished nothing but fun they trade of prospects for has bend and switch managers every year. It wasn’t until he was forced by mln to relinquish control of the team and she got the better of him did the team start to turn it around under Gene Michael and Cashman. Boss wanted to trade members of the core 5 but the team flight him to keep them and they rewarded him with 5 chips based mainly off of those 5 guys and give credit to Hal for importing guys like CC, AJ, Tex, Arod, Damon, Abreu, Matsui, etc to win in 09 and stay relevant for another 6 to 7 years before the rebuild after DJ retired. Yanks consistently spend to get missing pieces and augment what the farm doesn’t provide.
If they’re looking for a 1B without a QO, I’d prefer Santana over Goldschmidt. Santana won the gold glove last year. He also had a higher OPS than Goldschmidt. As a switch hitter, he’d be a better fit for Yankee Stadium.
agreed
Lmfao
Yankees are interested in everybody
Why don’t they want Alonso? He seems like a great fit
It’s length of the deal required to sign him.
@Jackalopal
He’s a one-dimensional player and wants a long-term deal. Plus, he’s terrible on defense, so if you’re signing him he’s a FT DH not the 1B man and the Yankees already have a FT DH.
Alonso will take a long-term contract to sign, and he’s attached to a qualifying offer. They’ve already signed 1 QO free agent (Fried) and probably want to avoid further draft penalties.
Overrated? Yes he has the most HRs outside of Judge over the last fiveish years. He also is an awful defensive player that strikes out too much and doesn’t walk or make enough contact. He’s destined to be another Giancarlo.
@Jackslopal – Length of deal, draft compensation and below average defender (though Mets fans will rave he was the best at scooping throws in the dirt). The hitting part is solid, but Yankees need a guy that can field.
STEEP decline the last few years = hell no!
Cashman…..swing a deal and do your job!! Yandy, Naylor, Bellinger and Arraez are ALL better options. Hell, if you want a cheap old vet, I’d rather have Rizzo back than Goldy.
You’d rather have Rizzo? That absurd. Goldschmidt has been far better than him in every conceivable way, even during their joint declines.
I’d rather have neither…..I’d rather Cashman do his job and make a trade. BUT, if it’s between the two…..yes, I’d rather have Rizzo.
Look at Goldy’s numbers the last 3 years….steep decline. Scouting report said he was overmatched with even an average fastball which is probably why he struck out near 200 freakin times. He’s also a few years older and a righty hitter. Again, would rather have neither.
Goldschmidt won an MVP 3 years ago, what are you talking about? Two years Goldschmidt still hit at a borderline all star level while Rizzo was already below average. Goldschmidt hit at a league average clip last year, including a very good second half while Rizzo looked like a guy who should retire.
Who cares what Goldy did 3 years ago? If you look at his 2022, 2023 and then 2024 season…..the numbers are in sharp decline, he’s 37, a righty hitter who strikes out a TON. The scout’s comments I read were, “he’s done” and “he can’t even get to 91 gas”. Rizz was injured and still hit 6 for 14 vs CLE with a broken hand in the playoffs.
AGAIN…..I’d like NEITHER as there are plenty of better options out there.
Goldy struck out 173 times (which was the same amount of times he struck out in 2018, when he was still in his prime). That’s not quite “near 200 freakin times”. It is also not a tremendous outlier in his career. He had a much better 2nd half of the season than first half, and was much better away from Bush Stadium, which is good for whoever is receiving him on the cheap. He was also great in the 5-6 holes, but every time he would catch fire there, Marmol would move him up to bat third and wonder why he would flounder. Marmol isn’t a manager who can let a guy find a comfort zone and succeed. He has to tinker. It definitely affected Goldy this year. He’s past his prime, no doubt, but he’ll be cheap, and his second half and play on the road are good signs that he could be worth a low cost, low risk signing.
You said “look at Goldy’s numbers the last 3 years…steep decline”. Who cares? Apparently you do since you set that window of reference.
Cite your scout who says he can’t hit 91.
Rizzo’s 6 hits against a crappy Cleveland pitching staff outweigh Goldschmidt’s far superior 2024 season? Makes no sense.
I know you don’t want either, I’m disputing your claim that Rizzo is better for the team than Goldschmidt.
Seems like you want to argue just to argue…..not even comprehending what I wrote.
Pointing to how great he was 3 years ago and looking at his decline SINCE then are two radically different things dude. C’mon.
I read about the scouts comments this morning in another article. I didn’t save the article thinking I would be debating a knucklehead who can’t do his own research…..so it will be up to you to find it.
Yankees need another righty hitter who strikes out at that high rate like they all need a case of crabs. AGAIN, when you look at the steep decline over the last 3 years, his age and the fact that he’s a righty, it makes ZERO sense.
You made a claim that somehow Rizzo is preferable to Goldschmidt. I responded disagreeing with you and questioning your claim. If you don’t want someone to respond then don’t make a post.
You said to look at their stats over the last 3 years and now you’re objecting to me bringing up the stats over those three years.
Classic, “do your own research because I didn’t save the article that backs my claim”…how convenient. “You’re a knucklehead who can’t do his own research”, ok Look, I’ve even included my sources since you say “I can’t do my own research”:
– baseball-reference.com/players/g/goldspa01.shtml
– baseball-reference.com/players/r/rizzoan01.shtml
Goldschmidt outperformed Rizzo in every single statistical measure over each of the last 3 years except triples in 2022 (Rizzo had 1 and Goldy had 0) and strikeouts (Goldy has played full seasons every year while Rizzo has only had 1 full season out of the last 3).
Why is Rizzo’s decline tolerable but Goldy’s isn’t? That’s what makes no sense here.
We also paid Rizz a buy out…..so he’s already on the books. How much more would it take to just retain him vs get Goldy?
All this aside…..Yankees will get Bellinger. This is all just posturing to see how much money we eat.
Rizzo actually makes your team worse, but if saving money is what counts then that’s cool I guess. Goldschmidt – while not the best player available – actually makes the team better. Does he cost more? Yes. Is he expensive? No, but who cares? I thought you guys were the Yankees? Isn’t “saving money” for the Pirates?
What amazes me about this rumor, despite the fact it is perpetuated by John Heyman, is *if the Yankees did spend the money in Goldy, it’s probably close to the amount over which they are negotiating with the Cubs in order to trade for Bellinger….. why not just eat the 10MM and get it over with?
But I’d guess their interest isn’t real. He doesn’t check any of the analytical Yankees boxes.
Truth.. And how does Goldy make sense over Bellinger? Bellinger plays nearly gold glove level defense at 1B and any outfield spot. And his LH bat would play well with that short porch in RF.
I’d rather give the job to Rice before signing Goldschmidt.
It’s all posturing for us to justify eating less of Beli’s salary.
Nice rumor!
I hear the Marlins are interested in Goldy, too. Yankees better watch out for the bidding war!
Sign Goldy, still trade for Belli & then sign Bregman. Everybody’s happy & we can all enjoy the Holidays for a change. Ahahahaha!
I like Goldy at the right price, if they could land him and Santander that might be a good way to go. They could lengthen their line-up and add 2 good veteran players!
If they sign Santander, it should be to play 1B while the team acquires a defensively competent corner outfield option that allows them to move Judge to RF with Jasson in CF.
Banana meet tailpipe.
@Supreme
Well said Ed? Or is it Mystikal?
I can’t believe he was league average last year. It seems being a league average player is someone who doesn’t walk, strikes out 1/4 of the ABs and gets on base about 30% of the time.
League average basically is a .248 hitter….the other stats just promoted by agents just make those 24 1/2 hits per hundred at bats look better…plus his walk and strikeout rates were the worst of his career…..and he’s 37…cue the Yankees are old and need to become more athletic……….bad move all around…..could re-sign Rizzo on a much cheaper contract…..which is a bad move also…..
@rocky7
They may want to punt on this year and see if they can sign Vlad in 2026. 1B is pretty slim pickings this year.
A terrific player for the Yankees. A future HOF player. Plays hard and is still above average with a bounce back possibility.
@Win
Above average in what?
I wonder if any teams are considering Jurickson Profar for 1b?
it’s a long shot but if his price drops far enough and the yankees strike out on everyone else i could see them signing him to play left and lead off
@Truth
Why not for LF?
This would be a good move. Supposedly Goldy helped Judge with his swing, and given the right handed balance of the lineup right now, Goldy could provide some much needed leadership and mentorship. We still need Bellinger and probably a 2B or 3B, but given the options, I’m not sure there’s any bad choices as long as the price is right
Goldy – 1B
Bellinger – LF
Hyeseong Kim – 2B
It’s definitely a deeper lineup with those guys. No long term commitments. Having said that, I think Bregman is still the guy at 3B with Jazz moving back to 2B. Bregman’s approach will age well even though the power numbers will probably dip. The glove plays too.
Goldschmidt is better than Rizzo in every conceivable way, and so even though he isn’t the glitzy addition he once was, he’s still a major upgrade over what the team had last year. The PFP snafu with Cole in the World Series doesn’t happen with Goldy at 1B, for example.
Naylor and Cole no more sleeping babe
Its funny how peeps on here are saying the Cubs will come down on money and concede to Yanks demands.
Cubs dont have to do crap (they have money but Ricketts is cheap)
Whos to say they dont change direction and trade Suzuki and Busch for SP
Or any other combo and just keep Belli for 1B this year?
Is it possible? Yes
Will it happen this way? No chance in hell, we have cheap Owners
So to sum it up……
You mock people on here for saying one thing……say something else could happen…..then admit it won’t. So what the hell was your point?
My point is/was
Got one of you dumb Yankees fans to respond!
Merry Xmas!
You got someone to point out that you’re an idiot. Wow, congrats.
Old and league average at the plate……snap him up before he signs elsewhere
I think it was a big mistake for Alonso to turn down the Mets extension offer last offseason. My guess is he isn’t getting offers for more than 4-5 years and Boras is holding out. Alonso is good at what he does but he’s a one trick pony, and those pure power guys usually don’t age well.
Uhhhhh Soto?
I wonder if there’s a strategy to sign Goldschmidt for 1 year and make a play for Vladdy next offseason.
@Mazinger31 – Guerrero is on record saying he will never play for the Yankees…ever.
And if the Yankees gave him the best offer, do you honestly think he’d adhere to that?
It would be cool to see Goldschmidt and Arenado reunited in New York. They work well together.
One thing people need to understand about Goldschmidt is he’s a very good defensive 1b. Defensive stats for 1b can be a bit messy i watched him play a lot and he’s very good defensively.
True, but Goldy is a bit old and older guys get hurt more often, and typically take much longer to come back….especially with swing induced injuries……his defense probably is as advertised, but with both 3rd and 1st open for the Yankees, one of those positions needs to be a masher not a league average hitter at .240ish……and Arenado is way …way overpriced contract wise against his current stats…again, you can value defense, but if you had both of these guys at the corners……
Goldschmidt isn’t hurt
Arenado isn’t overpaid
The A’s need to get salary up. So the Cubs and Yankees should do a three way deal – Bellinger to New York, Stroman to Sacramento, and a couple of A’s 40 grade prospects to the Cubs. The Cubs don’t want Stroman back.
I’d say trade for Nailor option A. Goldschmidt would be My option B. Walker for a C. I’m not sold on bellinger. We missed on him 2 years ago and again last year. What are the odds he gets better again or maintains? If were gonna pay a guy at least goldschmidt is a one / two year deal for 12m/16m range. That’s more palatable than what any of the other guys would get
Cmon Yanks. Stop arguing over nicks and trade for Belli @ 1b. Sign Profar for LF. Trade for Arraez at 2b. Sign Hoffman and Robertson for the pen.
Jazz
Arraez
Judge
Belli
Dominguez
Profar
Stanton
Wells
Volpe
3 LH, 3 RH, and 3 SWH. Yanks should be up 1 every time Jazz gets on base to lead of an inning.
There are worse options than Goldschmidt, but I’d still prefer a year of Santana over the other options.
I’m not as down on Goldy as others. Yes he cratered last season, but for a cheap year it could be interesting to see if he’s truly done or it was an aboration. Especially with some noteworthy free agents next off season.
A Bellinger trade also doesn’t preclude another 1b. That’s the beauty of trying to make that deal, you still have all options open.
Goldschmidt is the guy
I’d be curious as to the acquisition cost of both Naylor and N Lowe. I like both of those options way better than any of the free agents.
Josh Naylor? Good god, why? Is it TEH HRZZZ!!! ?
A ridiculous pickup unless the Yankees need a backup 1Bman who only has a chance of hitting specifically LHP’ing in 2025.
What the hell are you talking about? Do you watch baseball?
Naylor is 27, a lefty hitter with the short porch who just hit 31 dongs, doesn’t strike out much and isn’t locked into silly money.
Even your split point is wrong as he hits righties better. Geez man.
Sign Goldy 1+1 Contract, put bellinger in LF Dominguez CF would be great.
Sounds like a bob nutting pirate move
Thought I saw some talk of a potential reunion between PG and AZ..wonder if still in play given the likely inability to retain CW