Cody Bellinger's Emotional Homecoming to the Yankees

Cody Bellinger was thrilled to share the news of his trade to the New York Yankees with his father, Clay Bellinger, who previously played for the same team. During a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday, Cody expressed his excitement about joining the Yankees and following in his father's footsteps.

"It's truly wild," Cody said. "When I got the news, I called him, and he was very excited. He plays it all cool, but I know deep down he's really excited."

Bellinger reminisced about his childhood memories of his father's time with the Yankees, recalling home videos captured on a camcorder. "My parents did a good job of bringing the camcorder around, and back when I was younger in high school or even before that, we would watch home videos. So that's how I remember it a lot through the camcorder, but I still have some very solid memories of it," he added.

Clay Bellinger appeared in 181 games during his three seasons with the Yankees and was part of their World Series-winning teams in 1999 and 2000. With Cody joining the Yankees, they now become the fourth father-son duo to play for the team, following in the footsteps of Yogi and Dale Berra, Ron and Ike Davis, and Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr.

Acquired by the Yankees in a trade that sent pitcher Cody Poteet and cash to the Chicago Cubs, Cody Bellinger is expected to fill a key role in the lineup and potentially play multiple positions. In a conversation with manager Aaron Boone, Cody emphasized his versatility, saying, "Whether it's left, center, if [Aaron] Judge gets a DH day, I'll play right. Or if you need me at first base, I'll play first. And I enjoy doing that stuff. ... Wherever they need me, I'm available and I like doing it and it excites me."

Last season with the Cubs, Bellinger appeared in 49 games in right field, 48 in center, and 22 at first base, while batting .266 with 18 home runs. Reflecting on his time at Wrigley Field, Cody acknowledged that playing conditions could be challenging due to the elements. However, he is enthusiastic about the prospect of playing at Yankee Stadium.

"Everything about it excites me," he said. "The organization, the fans, the stadium, the atmosphere, and I actually have only played there once, and that was in 2023, and it was a really cool moment. You don't want the elements of the field to dictate how you feel, whether it's a cold day or hot day, wind's blowing in, wind's blowing out. You kind of want to stay within yourself, stick with your plan, and that's for me just how I stay even keel."