Cubs Week In Review: Bellinger To Bronx Bombers, Rotation Sights Set Higher, Sosa Back In Fold

Through playing the long game, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has the Cubs positioned for immediate postseason success. The latest evidence of this was in this week's inevitable trade of outfielder Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. In two seasons with the Cubs, Bellinger captured fans' attention and their hearts with dynamic offensive performances. The summers of 2023 and 2024 were as much about chanting "Cody," manifesting an absolute rocket launch of a home run, as they were about listening to rock bands at Grant Park in the sweltering heat. 

The previous big moves this offseason, especially the arrival of genuine superstar Kyle Tucker, were about what they do right now for the North Siders. To be clear, the trade of Bellinger to the Yankees for 30-something swingman Cody Poteet is about what it will do for the Cubbies. Even if Poteet never pitches a third of an inning as a Cub, the roughly $25 million freed up by this transaction figures to be repurposed toward a further reinforcement of the pitching staff. The future grows brighter all the time—and the team also managed to do something to lift the veil of darkness over one chapter of their past this week.

Sammy Sosa recorded 609 homers, 1,667 RBIs, and a .273 batting average in his career. Sosa also lied about using performance-enhancing drugs and was forced out via trade after a bitter end to the 2004 season, creating an estrangement between him and the franchise that he made newly iconic. That began to change a few days ago, as Sosa released a formal apology for his transgressions and a proclamation of his love for Chicago's North Side baseball team. Roughly simultaneously, Tom Ricketts released a statement of his own, accepting Sosa's apology and extending an invitation to Sosa to appear at the fast-approaching 2025 Cubs Convention in downtown Chicago. This takes at least some of the drama out of an overlong saga, and heals wounds that should never have been left open in the first place. 

It's hard to believe, thinking back to late September when last season ended, that I'd be able to write this, but the Cubs are in good shape, at least for the time being. Everything comes at a cost, but if the moves so far are any indication, the team will end up with enough of its future intact to make the present worth it.