Cubs’ Cody Bellinger could fill void in Yankees’ outfield and spark anemic offense

If nothing else good came out of yet another lame performance by the Yankees’ hitters, at least Yankee Stadium and its fans made a nice impression on Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, who should be one of the team’s prime trade-deadline targets.

“It’s awesome. Beautiful park. Electric crowd. Super exciting,” Bellinger summarized about the evening in which he homered, singled and scored two runs in a 3-0 Cubs victory, their first-ever win in The Bronx.

Of course, Yankees fans probably had a different impression: another evening gone awry, thanks to an offense that has gone limp and stayed limp.

They collected one hit against former Yankee Jameson Taillon.

It has gotten so bad that former MVPs Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton are being treated as if they are Aaron Hicks.

Bellinger, whose homer off Yankees starter Carlos Rodon, making his team debut, flew into the second deck in right field, still isn’t quite the MVP player he was in 2019, when he hit 47 homers for the Dodgers.

But he has worked hard to add strength after a celebratory mishap in the 2020 World Series sent him off course, and he’s a star again.

Cody Bellinger watches his home run during the third inning against the Yankees.

If Bellinger has undergone a transformation, the Bronx Bombers are nothing like their old selves.

Bellinger would not be a cure-all (I’m not sure any one player could be), but he’s the most obvious guy who may hit the trade block this month to fill a need, which is for a left-handed-hitting outfielder who can actually hit.

Here’s why Bellinger fits:

1. He’s currently batting .303, well above all active Yankees.

2. He’s left-handed and has a swing for Yankee Stadium when he’s on, as he is now.

3. He’s an outstanding center fielder, which would give the Yankees the best defensive outfield in baseball. He could man left field with Harrison Bader staying in center and Aaron Judge in right once he returns (I think he will, but prayers please).

4. The Yankees can afford the portion remaining on Bellinger’s $17.5 million salary, although they’ll venture into Steve Cohen tax territory.

5. There’s a decent chance the Cubs will sell. While they are improved and are actually the only team in the NL Central with a positive run differential, they remain below .500.

6. There won’t be many other good-hitting outfielders available. My colleague Joel Sherman suggested the Angels’ Hunter Renfroe could be available, and the Red Sox’s Adam Duvall possibly will be as well. (But does anyone really expect Boston to help the Yankees?)

I still can’t see the Padres’ Juan Soto going anywhere. The teams that will sell don’t have proven hitters.

7. The Bellinger family is known to be very lucky. His father, Clay, was a Yankees utilityman during their late 1990s heyday and switched over to the Angels for 2002, meaning his teams were 4-for-4 in reaching the World Series. And before he joined the lovable Cubs, Cody was lucky enough to be drafted by the Dodgers, who always win.

8. He’s a nice guy, which can’t hurt. When I told him I’d be adding to the obvious speculation that the Yankees should make a play for him, he got it. He’s a ballplayer’s son.

“I understand the circumstances,” Bellinger said. “I try not to think about it. It’s all out of my control. We’ve got a good team. We showed it tonight. And hopefully we can get on a roll.”

The Yankees also could use a little luck, too. But more than anything, they need someone who can swing the stick right now.

Bellinger was first to Cubs camp every day during spring training, according one of his teammates, and made sure to get back on the right path.

We don’t need to relive all the gory details, but Bellinger and then Dodgers teammate Kiké Hernandez did a forearm bump following a home run, and needless to say, Bellinger got the worst of it.

The Yankees are in need of a spark hitter like Cody Bellinger, as they lack offense without Aaron Judge.

The gamer kept playing and helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series. Afterward, he had shoulder surgery, and for two years lost his stroke.

Now he has it back, as he showed Friday night, while Yankees hitters continued to reek.

Taillon, incidentally, came into the game with a 6.93 ERA this season, and while some of that was misfortune, we can safely say he hadn’t been hot.

No matter who’s pitching, the Yankees have not been able to hit since Judge ran into that right-field wall at Dodger Stadium.

Since Judge became inactive, the Yankees entered Friday last of 30 teams for batting average (.218) and slugging percentage (.288), and fourth to last in OPS (.663) and runs per game (3.8).