Cody Bellinger continues to seek seven years from his next employer according to Bob Nightengale, and the Yankees are still unwilling to meet those demands.
Nightengale further reports that the team’s current offer would have a total value between $155-$160 million without any deferrals, which has created some frustration inside the organization.
New York is unwilling to increase their offer with their internal belief that other teams are unwilling to make an offer that matches or exceeds it, which is why Buster Olney reported that they’ll operate believing he’s out the door.
Whether Scott Boras caves in or not remains to be seen, but these two sides have been tangled in talks for months and they don’t seem to be coming to an end just yet.
READ MORE: The Yankees and Cody Bellinger need each other despite the impasse
Yankees’ near-$160 million Offer Is Still Not Enough For Cody Bellinger
The Yankees need to prepare to strike if they want to avoid completely whiffing on targets on the pitching side, and that’s what they’re gearing up to do with Cody Bellinger still holding out.
He produced a 125 OPS+ with +12 Defensive Runs Saved across three outfield positions for the Yankees, as he was the team’s second-most-productive player behind AL MVP Aaron Judge.
With the value he brings both offensively and defensively there’s an obvious interest in a reunion, but we have seemed to find the line in the sand for the organization and it’s a fair one.
Cody Bellinger’s currently waiting for a seven-year contract, one that he is unlikely to get given the current landscape of free agency.
Alex Bregman, who is a little over a year older than Cody Bellinger, got a five-year $175 million offer with a present-day value of around $150-$155 million according to reports.
The Yankees will hold firm on their offer for now and Boras will hold firm on his demands as these two sides both posture in a way to ignore their obvious and clear desires for a reunion.