Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that the Yankees and Cody Bellinger are still in talks this week to try and close out a deal.
The Yankees are trying to get creative in order to close this deal out as these two sides continue to go back-and-forth in an attempt to get this thing done.
Two possibilities here would be a player option and a large signing bonus, the former would provide Bellinger a valuable component to his contract as he could hit the market again with time to get another big deal.
As for the signing bonus, it would provide him the chance to get some money that wouldn’t count against the Luxury Tax and could be tax-free, which is obviously beneficial to the player.
It’s been a week full of leaks from the side of the Bronx Bombers, both revealing their offer to Cody Bellinger and even having it come out that they’re beginning to look at alternatives.
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Cody Bellinger and the Yankees Are Continuing to Push Towards A Reunion
The Yankees were reportedly operating under the assumption that Cody Bellinger would sign elsewhere on Sunday, but Jon Heyman’s latest report indicates that these two sides are still in talks.
Jack Curry noted last night that the Yankees have not cut off talks with the outfield free agent, but the two sides had yet to reach an agreement after the team made an offer that it seems unwilling to budge from.
What would potentially sweeten the pot in a deal like this would be adding incentives that are not going to affect their luxury tax but still increase the overall value for the Scott Boras client.
Player options are incredibly valuable in some contract models that agencies have since the player (depending on when the opt-out is) could still be young enough to get value on the market.
If the Yankees were to provide one after two years for example, Cody Bellinger would be 32 entering free agency with a chance to do better than a three-year ~$93 million deal.
It also isn’t the worst thing in the world if Bellinger ended up opting out since there could be other free agents who attract the club and it would remove some of the dead years of his contract.
As for a signing bonus, it would give Bellinger more present-day money while not having to count this money against the CBT, appeasing both sides by providing him more money in a shorter period of time than Alex Bregman.
The big key here is not having deferred money; while Bregman will be getting his $175 million over a longer timespan than five years, a signing bonus could give Bellinger similar money all in just five seasons.