Cody Bellinger has opted out of his contract and become a free agent, meaning the Yankees will have a hole in left field they need to address.
They could just bring back Bellinger and move on; the former MVP launched 29 home runs and played excellent defense in the outfield, with a myriad of reports suggesting that he loved his time here.
New York got excellent value on their $25 million, part of their pivot after Juan Soto left to the Mets, but they shouldn’t confuse that 2025 with a change in value.
While Bellinger coming back wouldn’t close the Yankees’ window, the signing of Kyle Tucker could give them the star talent and roster depth to have their best team in the Aaron Judge era.
It would cost more than Cody Bellinger and could take the Yankees out of future sweepstakes, but 2025 was a year that resulted in massive internal developments that Hal Steinbrenner needs to buy into.
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Kyle Tucker Could Give The Yankees Their Dream Team in 2026
What separates this offseason from last offseason is the number of holes on the roster; the Yankees needed a first baseman, outfielder, bullpen support, a starter, and a third baseman.
The Yankees wanted to bring back Juan Soto, but when they didn’t, it at least gave them the opportunity to check off more boxes than they would have if they spent $50 million on one player.
Entering this offseason, the Yankees have far fewer holes, needing an outfielder and reliever to round out a roster that should have tons of returning characters in 2026.
New York would benefit from acquiring a high-impact player in free agency for the outfield and bullpen, and that’s where Kyle Tucker enters the equation.
Acquiring the best player available for the outfield does two things; it makes the team better for 2026, but it also re-establishes the Yankees as a team capable of finishing first for the star player.
It’s true that the Mets landed Juan Soto because their offer included more money and perks, but it’s also true that Scott Boras had believed Queens would give his top client the best chance to win, sources tell Empire Sports Media.
There was a belief that Steve Cohen was more committed to winning than Hal Steinbrenner was, and the Dodgers’ lurked in the shadows because everyone knows they’re the best place in baseball to go if you want to win.
20 years ago, that used to be the New York Yankees, but the landscape has changed and the organization needs to prove to the rest of baseball that its an untrue statement.
Cody Bellinger is a good player, but Kyle Tucker is a top 10 hitter in baseball over the last three years, there’s levels to the greatness at hand here.
He bares a striking resemblance to stars whom the organization ultimately didn’t come close to acquiring in years past, being as good if not better than Corey Seager, Matt Olson, or Freddie Freeman when they hit the market.
Kyle Tucker is the best player in this group if you look at the last three seasons entering the year the player either hit free agency or was traded.
He isn’t the oldest player of this group either, Freddie Freeman entered his age-32 season when he debuted as a Dodger while Tucker will enter his age-29 season when he hits the market.
All four left-handed hitters have their own skillsets, but Tucker hits more flyballs to right field and makes more contact than any of them, making him the hitter who’d likely benefit the most from Yankee Stadium.
Cody Bellinger’s success going from Wrigley Field to Yankee Stadium shouldn’t be used to dismiss Kyle Tucker, but rather to try and lure him in by pointing out the production of the hitter he replaced with the Cubs.
A .747 OPS and .395 SLG% at home this season was a result of Kyle Tucker dealing with a deeper right field and poor wind conditions, the same issues that held Cody Bellinger to a .700 OPS at home in 2024.
Kyle Tucker might put up a 150 OPS+ playing 50% of his games at Yankee Stadium, the kind of production that would take this lineup to another level.
There are concerns from a defensive-standpoint, but moving Jasson Dominguez to centerfield and putting Tucker in left field could be passable enough to win ballgames.
Right field in Wrigley Field is extremely difficult and he was a mediocre defender out there, Bellinger only managed -2 DRS and +1 OAA in his two seasons playing the outfield there due to how the wind can take balls at random.
I accept that a Tucker-Dominguez-Judge outfield will produce negative DRS or OAA numbers, but that didn’t concern the Yankees in the slightest when they were making record-setting offers to an even worse defender in Juan Soto.
It also didn’t affect the Yankees when they hoped to trade Ben Rice in a package for Kyle Tucker last winter, as we reported here on Empire Sports Media a few weeks ago.
The Yankees not pursuing Kyle Tucker in this upcoming offseason shouldn’t be viewed as a strategic way to avoid overpaying for outfield production or putting assets into other pursuits for the pitching staff.
A lack of a pursuit should be viewed as cheapness; a validation of Juan Soto’s beliefs that the Mets were the better team to land with if he wanted to win a World Series title.
Hal Steinbrenner decreased team payroll after winning the AL Pennant, which was seen as understandable given that the market lacked players to spend big on besides Max Fried.
To do it in a second consecutive season following an embarassing ALDS exit against the Blue Jays would tell free agents that the Yankees are no longer the team to take a paycut to win with.
Few hitters strike me as a better fit for the Yankees; a left-handed hitter to pair with Aaron Judge that can hit 30 home runs and tally more walks than strikeouts on the season.
He’s everything the middle of this offense needs, and with Aaron Judge entering his age-34 season, he’s the kind of player who can take the mantle as their best player down the road.