Cody Bellinger's performance with Yankees should hit Dodgers fans in the feels

At one time, Cody Bellinger won the National League MVP Award while wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. His production fell off dramatically, and plenty of Dodgers fans wrote him off. But as it turns out, that may have been a big mistake.

Bellinger, now in the prime of his career, is absolutely balling out for the New York Yankees this season. Belli’s stats are approaching MVP levels once again. Meanwhile, Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker — labeled by many a superior player to Bellinger during the most recent free-agent cycle — has undermined that label completely and has struggled mightily in 2026.

Frankly, there's no comparison between these two players at the moment. Bellinger is the much better performer, and Dodgers fans hate to see it.

The Dodgers dropped $240 million on Tucker this past January. Was that a bad investment? It's still far too early to make that kind of statement, but that doesn't change the fact that Bellinger has looked unbelievable so far this season.

Bellinger was available for the Dodgers to re-sign this past winter, but they decided to target Tucker instead. As long as Bellinger keeps playing well, the Dodgers' front office won't be able to ignore the thought that they could have snagged a more productive outfielder at a lower cost.

Kyle Tucker still has time to turn things around in a Dodgers uniform

The Dodgers vetted Tucker sufficiently and felt that they were signing a winning player. And let's not get too carried away here. Tucker still hasn't played a postseason with the Dodgers, wherein there will be plenty of opportunities for him to make his mark when it matters most.

Moreover, there are signs that Tucker is starting to settle into his Dodgers role and get more comfortable. Manager Dave Roberts said the other day that Tucker has opened up more recently and begun talking more with his teammates and coaches. Roberts believes this will free Tucker up to play with less pressure.

Tucker and Bellinger will be compared to one another for the remainder of their careers, especially given the latter's history with the Dodgers. It'll be a tough comp for Tucker to deal with if things keep trending in the same direction for Bellinger in the Bronx, but another championship for the Dodgers (this time featuring Tucker) would do much to make that entire conversation seem less relevant.

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