Scott Boras said Cody Bellinger has been pestering him about the Yankees trade for a while

Cody Bellinger was traded from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees on Tuesday, joining the team his father, Clay, spent most of his career with, winning two World Series titles along the way in the 1990s. As it turns out, getting to the Bronx has been high on Bellinger’s priority list.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman told the media Wednesday that Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, told Cashman that Bellinger’s desire to play for New York was so Outspoken, Boras said he “drove me crazy” with his attempts to get to the Bronx.

Last season there were plenty of rumors leading up to the trade deadline that a Bellinger trade to New York could be in the works. No such trade materialized, and there were some roadblocks to getting a deal done now, which were resolved by the Cubs sending $5 million in cash to the Yankees as part of the deal ($2.5 million to cover a part of his contract in 2024) and ’25).

Bellinger did not secure a big deal in free agency ahead of the 2024 season, as was largely expected. Instead, he signed a three-year contract that included opt-outs after each year of the deal, giving him the option to re-enter free agency if he chose. Bellinger’s play regressed (though he was still a batter above average in terms of OPS), an unfortunate outcome for the Cubs, who were then stuck with the contract of a player who didn’t live up to expectations.

At the time, the deal was considered good for the team, but his struggles at the plate last year created some tension. The Yankees are hoping a short right field stint at Yankee Stadium (and on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays, as Cashman pointed out) will be beneficial for him to get back into a groove similar to what he produced in 2023. Bellinger is a former MVP. and has had an above-average OPS in six of his eight major league seasons.