Cody Bellinger trade pushes Yankees to projected $286M tax payroll and secures 3rd highest spot in MLB

The New York Yankees officially traded for outfielder Cody Bellinger on Tuesday. The former Chicago Cubs star lands in the Bronx for the remaining two years (one of them is an option year) on the contract he signed last offseason. It was a fairly lucrative contract, one signed after a return to form in 2023.

However, he regressed a little bit in 2024, making his contract too expensive and thus forcing the Cubs to trade him for Cody Poteet, a 29-year-old reliever who doesn't have 100 MLB innings in his career.

They're also paying $5 million to the Yankees, so that does help offset some of the financial burden being taken on by New York. However, it still pushes their payroll higher.

After the Bellinger deal, the Yankees now have a projected payroll of $286 million, which ranks third in all of baseball, per Spotrac. They're just behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who have spent $287 million.

The Yankees are probably not done yet. They've been linked to third baseman Alex Bregman, a player who will likely add at least $20 million to their 2025 payroll. They also still need a first baseman, and unless they make a trade for someone cheap, they will add more payroll to do that.

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How the Yankees payroll looks with Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger was the second-highest-paid player on the Chicago Cubs last year. With the New York Yankees, he dips to fifth with a $25 million salary. The Yankees have an expensive roster.

Cody Bellinger makes $25 million in salary (Imagn)

Coming in first is Aaron Judge, who makes $40 million. Just behind him is the $36 million man, Gerrit Cole. Giancarlo Stanton's $32 million salary comes in behind those two, with Carlos Rodon and his $27.83 million price tag landing just ahead of Bellinger.

Interestingly enough, Max Fried, who signed a $281 million deal (a record for a left-handed pitcher), doesn't even come close to the top five. It all adds up, though, and the Yankees now have the third-most expensive team in baseball.

Given how aggressive general manager Brian Cashman has been since not signing Juan Soto, which would've skyrocketed their payroll, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Yankees continue moving up.