It's business: Cody Bellinger fails to hide how excited he actually was to leave Cubs

Earlier this week, the Chicago Cubs traded Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees in what amounted to a salary dump. The Cubs aren't struggling for money right now, but they need to start planning ahead, as the newly-acquired Kyle Tucker is set to reach free agency after the 2025 season. If the Cubs aren't careful, Tucker could Juan Soto them, thus leaving after a season for a contract Chicago cannot afford.

So, the Yankees took on the majority of Bellinger's contract – Chicago threw in $5 million – and sent Cody Poteet to the Cubs. The trade itself was little more than an exchange of assets, and the Cubs sure as hell didn't get equal value for a player of Bellinger's stature.

Now, it should also be noted that Bellinger is coming off a down year. His OPS was just .751, which was slightly above league-average. He is making far more than a league-average outfielder or first baseman, whichever the Yankees prefer him to play.

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Cody Bellinger pretends he wasn't thrilled when Yankees traded for him

Bellinger himself was thrilled for a chance to play with the Yankees, as his father Clay also once donned pinstripes. Per Brian Hoch, Bellinger helped orchestrate the trade to begin with, begging Scott Boras to facilitate a deal to New York.

Manager Aaron Boone claimed Bellinger reached out to him following the trade, telling his new manager "not to worry" about what position he would play. Bellinger would find a way to make it work, assuming such a position change is best for the team.

So, yeah, Bellinger is pretty excited, which made his most recent quote to the press rather surprising. I like to call it business as usual.

"I understand. I get it. I get business. Very good at separating the business and the baseball. I'm the basbeall player and there are business people in this game so I just want to prepare and play the best baseball I can play," Bellinger said of the Cubs.

Uh, excuse me? If the reporting behind the Bellinger trade is true – which is that he wanted such a move in the first place – then why is he acting like the Cubs are the culprit? What needs to be forgiven here by Bellinger?

Perhaps Bellinger is playing the middle ground to Jesse Rogers, who used to be a Cubs reporter but is now on the national stage with ESPN. In this case, fans can see right through Bellinger.