Jon Heyman of the New York Post said on a Bleacher Report livestream that the New York Yankees are ‘somewhat confident’ about their ability to retain Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger, who is the Yankees’ top free agent target, has received interest from the Mets, Dodgers, and Giants, but none of them seem interested to the degree of offering a mega contract.
This is where the confidence for the organization could seem to stem from; while other top free agents they’ve bid for such as Juan Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto got massive contract offers, Cody Bellinger is not nearly as coveted.
Brian Cashman and Scott Boras seem to be locked in on a staring contest between each other as they try to wait the other out, but there is a mutual interest for both sides to get a deal done before Opening Day.
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Cody Bellinger Leaving Doesn’t Seem to Threaten the Yankees Right Now
While the market was supposed to be loud for Cody Bellinger, the Yankees have not faced the fierce competition for his services that they might have feared opening the winter.
Reports from local media analysts and writers such as Andy Martino and Jack Curry have both indicated that the team would not over-extend itself to retain Bellinger despite their positive internal opinion of the player.
Heyman added that Bellinger is seeking a seven year contract but might have to give in and accept a six-year deal, but it is unclear if any team on the market is even at that range in their offers.
Earlier in the month the New York Post reporter mentioned that the Yankees were not threatened by the Mets for Bellinger’s services and that Aaron Judge had been advocating for his return.
Aaron Judge had a front-row seat to one of Cody Bellinger’s best individual seasons where he hit 29 home runs with a 4.9 WAR, providing excellent offense with elite defense.
His ability to hit left-handed pitchers makes him highly coveted by some teams who need additional offense in those situations, especially since the league is struggling mightily against southpaws compared to righties.
Where the Yankees could end up finding a sweet-spot with their fan-favorite outfielder is with a five-year deal and high AAV, as there’s mutual interest in a reunion if the numbers add up.
Rumors of the Mets’ interest is real, but whether they would be willing to make an undisciplined offer to Cody Bellinger or not (especially given the poor ballpark fit for his swing) remains to be seen.