Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Yankees’ captain Aaron Judge, who is slated to play for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is pushing the team to retain Cody Bellinger.
The two had a strong relationship this past season, and Judge’s opinion is listened to inside the front office, and while he can’t force transactions, his voice does matter.
He has advocated for moves before, such as the addition of Alex Verdugo two years ago, and with the organization already having a real interest in bringing Bellinger back, it could add some extra motivation for a reunion.
It’s unknown what limits the Yankees are willing to go in order to bring back Bellinger, and the same is true for the uncertainty regarding what the market is offering up to land him.
Aaron Judge Wants the Yankees to Bring Back Cody Bellinger
Following the Yankees’ defeat at the hands of the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series, Aaron Judge spoke to the media and voiced his desire for both Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger to return in 2026:
“Grish and Bellinger, two guys that had incredible years…I hope we can run them back and see what happens.”
The Yankees have brought back Trent Grisham already on the one-year $22 million Qualifying Offer, a deal that has seemed to age well on a market where outfielders are a hot commodity.
New York hoped to bring him back and have their centerfield hole plugged in, but Bellinger will be a much tougher player to re-sign based on his contract demands.
Jon Heyman has noted that the Yankees no. 1 priority is Cody Bellinger, and Jack Curry has noted in recent YES Hot Stove segments that the team is still trying to work out a deal with the outfielder.
Another note made during Hot Stove is that the Yankees are not overly pessimistic or overly optimistic either way, as they are unwilling to do something unreasonable to retain his services.
Where that line in the sand has been drawn internally has yet to be revealed, and I wouldn’t expect that information to come out until Cody Bellinger makes a decision in free agency.
Teams such as the Mets, Giants, and Dodgers are vying to snatch him away from the Bronx, but the impression I’ve gotten is that Bellinger would be happy to stay in the Bronx.
Whether that means he’d take a discount or not remains to be seen, but Scott Boras clients often take the highest dollar or use preference as more of an ‘if all things are equal’ situation.