MLB insider predicts Cubs' plans after Cody Bellinger's move to Yankees ft. help for Kyle Tucker 

The New York Yankees were looking for an outfielder replacement after Juan Soto's record-setting contract with the New York Mets, and they've gone and acquired Chicago Cubs first baseman Cody Bellinger. The Yankees traded right-hander Cody Poteet in return.

Reportedly, the Yankees want Bellinger to play center for the team, as Aaron Judge will be moving to the right field after playing center all of the 2024 season. However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has declared this as "fake news" for now.

MLB insider Robert Murray spoke on "The Baseball Insiders" podcast about the Chicago Cubs' plans regarding their 2025 roster and how they'll look to bolster their team while helping Kyle Tucker.

"The Cubs, it's frustrating that they have to do this or they felt like they had to do this because the Cubs are a big market team, they should not be operating by pinching pennies or shedding payroll," Murray said. "I know Bellinger's salary is higher than they would have preferred, but he's still an effective player, he's a good clubhouse guy, they really liked him in Chicago, and it's just unfortunate.

"But I am under the impression they will use the money saved from this trade to invest back into the roster and they can address numerous different positions. I know they're looking at the rotation, they're looking at the bullpen obviously, they could use some more bats alongside Kyle Tucker," he added.

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Cody Bellinger is the Yankees' second trade of the offseason, after acquiring Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. Also, they introduced Max Fried at Yankee Stadium, which speaks a lot about their new strategy after losing out on their superstar Juan Soto.

Yankees general manager reveals intentions behind trading for Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger had been linked with the New York Yankees for some time now. General Manager Brian Cashman talked about the trade 24 hours after it was done, revealing that the decision wasn't to fulfill anybody's wishes.

"He’s someone that wants to be here," Cashman said. "I've been hearing it for a long time, including his agent Scott Boras saying, 'Can you get him over here? He's driving me crazy. He wants to be a Yankee.' That’s not why I did it; ultimately, I did it because it’s a fit.

"Bellinger [is] a very good fit because it allows us a lot of flexibility," he added. "He’s an above-average athlete. He’s an above-average defender at first, above-average defender in the outfield. He can run the bases extremely well, and his swing is built for Yankee Stadium."

Moreover, Cashman said the decision had to be taken swiftly, otherwise, Bellinger could have been traded off to another team. It is rumored that the Yankees had to outbid the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire Bellinger.

"If we didn’t pull him down, he would have been off the board," Cashman said.

Bellinger's father Clay Bellinger played for the New York Yankees in the late 1990s and even won two World Series rings. Now, they've become the fourth father-son duo to don the pinstripes, after Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr., Ron and Ike Davis and Yogi and Dale Berra.