A stunning trade by the Mets tonight has caused a big shake up on the outfield market, and the Yankees could face their crosstown rivals in another free agent showdown.
Cody Bellinger, who would fit the Mets’ idea of the run prevention, would fit them like a glove and is a player of interest to the Mets according to multiple public reports.
Whether Steve Cohen and David Stearns focus their attention on retaining their free agents such as Pete Alonso or Edwin Diaz remain to be seen, but if they look externally for an outfielder, Bellinger is their best free agent match.
Could the Yankees, who watched Juan Soto leave them at the alter for the Mets, see Cody Bellinger pull the same manuever this free agency?
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Why the Yankees and Mets Could Battle It Out for Cody Bellinger
Let’s start with the negatives for a Cody Bellinger-to-Mets scenario, with the first being that his swing doesn’t fit Citi Field the way it meshed beautifully with Yankee Stadium.
Unlike Juan Soto, who has excellent power to the opposite-field and has never truly relied on pulled flyballs to do damage, Bellinger’s swing is tailored to optimize his spray angle because of underwhelming exit velocity numbers.
He would have hit 25 home runs if all of his games were played in Citi Field, a four HR drop-off from his actual number (29), and Bellinger was a much worse hitter away from Yankee Stadium in 2025.
Where I think this argument loses a little bit of validity is in the sense that his OPS away from Yankee Stadium (.715) is likely lower than it would have been if he repeated his 2025 season as a New York Met.
I do think that Cody Bellinger’s offensive output is best if he’s a Yankee, but his projected .781 OPS would be a 21-point increase from what Brandon Nimmo provided in 2025.
We saw Cody Bellinger produce a .751 OPS playing half of his games in Wrigley Field during the 2024 season, which is a worse ballpark for him than somewhere such as Citi Field.
Defensively, he’s an elite defensive wizard in the corner outfield, and that’s exactly what the Mets could be looking for in their offseason plans.
This does hinge on them believing that Carson Benge can play CF, but if he can’t, then Bellinger could for now and his versatility would help the Mets.
It doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be the top suitors, but there’s logic to believe that they’d focus on defense more than offense given this most recent transaction.
Furthermore, it could offset the defensive hit you’d take with Pete Alonso at first base, who is an elite slugger that would make up for any losses in offense from Semien to Nimmo.
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Now for the Yankees, their needs are different from the Mets, and I think Kyle Tucker is the far better fit with Trent Grisham returning on that one-year contract.
Brian Cashman needs to find the no. 2 hitter next to Aaron Judge in this offense, and while that could be Ben Rice who produced an excellent .836 OPS, Kyle Tucker would be a much more stable option.
Since 2021, Kyle Tucker has produced between 4.6-5.5 WAR, with very little deviation in total production as his bat has gotten better as the defense has worsened.
Funnily enough, he’s become a better baserunner as the wheels have slown down, and Tucker is the kind of high OBP guy who you want in front of Aaron Judge.
Maybe the Yankees should let the Mets get Bellinger and hyperfocus on Kyle Tucker, but that’s a juvenille way to discuss an offseason plan when there’s no telling where either player wants to be and what teams will offer.
All I know is that this offseason got VERY interesting in just one move, and the Yankees could feel the ripple effects of this trade if they’re all-in on Cody Bellinger coming back.