Could Yankees Trade For Ex-MVP To Replace Injured Aaron Judge?

Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger were named Rookie of the Year in the American League and National League, respectively, in 2017.

So, in some ways, it would be fitting if the New York Yankees swung a deal with the Chicago Cubs to land Bellinger before the 2023 Major League Baseball trade deadline.

The Yankees are without Judge, who hasn’t played since spraining his right big toe June 3. And New York’s lineup looks, well, different, a reality the Bronx Bombers will continue to face as Judge rehabs from his injury.

The reigning AL MVP still is without a return timeline, and even though he’s resumed baseball activities, Judge revealed this week he ultimately might require offseason surgery. Not exactly comforting if you’re the Yankees, especially with New York already in need of offensive reinforcements.

Which brings us to Bellinger, who’s in the midst of a solid first year with the Cubs after being non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the offseason. He obviously wouldn’t replace Judge’s production, and Chicago is close enough to the NL playoff picture that it conceivably could keep Bellinger and/or add pieces before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. But the Yankees added to their outfield mix with left-handed hitters the last two seasons — Joey Gallo in 2021 and Andrew Benintendi in 2022 — so there’s certainly a need and a precedent as general manager Brian Cashman plots his path forward in 2023.

NJ.com’s Randy Miller dropped this nugget Thursday: “An MLB scout recently told NJ Advance Media that Bellinger could be a good fit in a Yankees’ lineup that struggled to consistently score runs even before 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge was lost in June to a toe injury that still has him sidelined.”

Judge played both right field and center field this season before landing on the injured list, the continuation of a trend that mostly began in 2021 and picked up steam in 2022. Bellinger, who’s played mostly center field this season, is capable of playing all three outfield spots in addition to first base.

Again, Bellinger probably wouldn’t carry the Yankees on his shoulders in Judge’s absence, or even after the captain returns, but he’d be a decent piece to New York’s postseason puzzle. The question is whether Cashman and company view Bellinger as enough of an upgrade to relinquish prospect capital.

Bellinger, who turns 28 next week, entered Thursday slashing .284/.341/.456 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 54 games (229 plate appearances), a far cry from his NL MVP production with the Dodgers in 2019 but nevertheless a step forward after struggling in subsequent years to replicate that success.

Bellinger has a $12 million mutual contract option for 2024, with a $5.5 million buyout, according to Spotrac.