As Cody Bellinger transitions from Wrigley Field to Yankee Stadium, the former MVP hopes he can return to the form of an elite slugger once more. Of course, the Yankees certainly hope that, too, with a need to backfill the chasm Juan Soto—who signed as a free agent with the New York Mets—leaves in their lineup offensively.
Bellinger's offensive trajectory has been up-and-down throughout his career, peaking at 167 (67% better than the average batter in terms of OPS+) in his MVP year, 2019, and falling as low as 44 (64% worse than the average) in 2021. He ascended back to elite levels in 2023 when he slashed .307/.356/.525 with the Cubs in 2023, but he regressed in 2024 at .266/.325/.426. Though no one expects him to be a one-for-one Soto replacement, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with the Yankees last year (67 OPS+ points better than Bellinger).
