With spring training about a month away and Cody Bellinger one of several high-profile free agents lingering in free agency, a gap remains between the outfielder and the Yankees.
The Bombers have made multiple offers to Bellinger, with the latest coming in at five years and an average annual value that’s just over $30 million, multiple sources told the Daily News with negotiations ongoing. However, those same sources believe that Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, are seeking a seven-year deal.
The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty first reported Bellinger’s pursuit of a seven-year contract and the Yankees’ willingness to exceed $30 million annually.
Bellinger, 30, shined for the Yankees this past season after being acquired from the Cubs in a salary dump, slashing .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, 13 stolen bases, a 125 wRC+ and a 4.9 fWAR over 152 games while primarily hitting third behind Aaron Judge. Bellinger added stellar defense in left while also providing coverage in center, right and, briefly, at first base.
When the Yankees’ season came to an end in the ALDS, Bellinger said he would “absolutely” be interested in sticking with the team, which employed his father, Clay, from 1999-2001. Brian Cashman, meanwhile, has been open about the Yankees’ desire to re-sign the 2019 MVP this offseason, though there have been hints that such a reunion would have to be on the club’s terms after Bellinger declined a $25 million player option for 2026.
“He was an impactful player for us last year,” Cashman said during the Winter Meetings, “and we’d love to have him back if it could fit for us.”
Boras said Bellinger and the Yankees were “an ideal fit” earlier this offseason, as the veteran proved that he can handle the pressures of New York. Yet, talks have dragged with a notable chasm separating the two sides.
The Yankees believe their most recent offer to be substantial, as it would give Bellinger the fourth-highest AAV of any outfielder behind the Mets’ Juan Soto ($51 million), Judge ($40 million), and the Angels’ Mike Trout ($35.5 million) with the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts ($30.4 million) now playing shortstop.
However, Bellinger’s camp can argue that Judge and Trout signed their deals years ago under conditions that are not reflective of the current market. Soto, another Boras client, then took the market to a level that created a massive gap between him and the pair of three-time MVPs that follow him in the AAV rankings.
Bellinger’s camp can also note a pair of deals that were signed by older, defensively-limited players this offseason. Pete Alonso, a 31-year-old first baseman represented by Boras, became one of the first big free agents to sign when he inked a five-year, $155 million deal ($31 million AAV) with an Orioles team hungry for star talent. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, soon to be 33, returned to the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million contract ($30 million AAV).
At the same time, the Yankees could also view those contracts as benchmarks.
Boras has gotten seven-year contracts from the Yankees for outfielders who are roughly Bellinger’s age in the past. Jacoby Ellsbury was 30 when he signed a seven-year, $153 million deal ($21.8 million AAV) in 2013, though that hardly worked out, while Bernie Williams received a seven-year, $87.5 million pact in 1998 when he was 30.
More recently, Boras landed an eight-year, $162 million contract ($20.25 million AAV) from the Mets for Brandon Nimmo in 2022. Nimmo was 29 at the time.
So far, starter Dylan Cease, also a Boras client, is the only free agent to sign a deal for more than five seasons this winter, as he got seven from the Blue Jays. No position player has done so, a notable development with an anticipated work stoppage hovering over the sport.
At this point, it is unclear if other teams have made significant offers to Bellinger, though the Dodgers, Mets and Cubs could all use a middle-of-the-order bat and have been previously linked to the two-time All-Star.
The Yankees, meanwhile, don’t want to risk bidding against themselves after Bellinger’s previous trips to free agency yielded prove-it, option-heavy deals. Those followed some down and injury-riddled seasons with the Dodgers.
At the same time, losing Bellinger would leave the Yankees with a question mark in left and short of an impact bat.
With the team already at a high price point for Bellinger, some have wondered why Cashman doesn’t shift his focus to another free agent corner outfielder, Kyle Tucker. Tucker is a better and younger hitter, albeit a more expensive one, but the Yankees haven’t shown serious interest in him this winter.
A source said that hasn’t changed recently despite Bellinger’s own prolonged stint on the open market.
There’s also infielder Bo Bichette. While his right-handed swing would be welcomed in the Yankees’ lefty-loaded lineup, he is not a great fit defensively or logistically.
Tucker and Bichette also come with qualifying offers, meaning the Yankees would have to forfeit draft pick compensation.
If Bellinger were to sign elsewhere, the likeliest scenario would be for the Yankees to pair the switch-hitting Jasson Domínguez with a right-handed hitter – Austin Hays is of interest – in left field. However, lefty-swinging prospect Spencer Jones, who comes with strikeout concerns, could factor in.
Re-signing Bellinger would make Domínguez or Jones expendable with the Yankees also perusing the trade market for starting pitchers. They’ve been connected to Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, but the trade costs for frontline rotation help are extremely high.
The Yankees were recently reminded of that, as the Cubs bested their offer for ex-Marlin Edward Cabrera.
-Bill Madden contributed to this report.
