Following the return of Trent Grisham, there was real doubt surrounding how the Yankees would navigate through the rest of their offseason with $22 million less to spend.
Cody Bellinger, who is the team’s top free agent, is still out there on the market and is expected to garner some interest from teams such as the Blue Jays, Mets, and Dodgers.
New York is still in good standing for these sweepstakes according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, who reports that they are the clear favorites for the left-handed hitting outfielder.
Hitting the market after posting a 125 OPS+ and 4.9 WAR, Bellinger is set to get a significant payday, and the Yankees are positioned to be the team that hands him a nine-figure contract.
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The Yankees Remain Cody Bellinger’s Most Likely Landing Spot
Cody Bellinger’s return is still up in the air, teams such as Toronto and Los Angeles have needs for outfield support, and we could see the Mets get more involved if they move off of Brandon Nimmo.
Sources have told Empire Sports Media that the Mets’ interest isn’t as great as the Yankees’ interest, although these two could compete for Japanese free agent Tatsuya Imai.
As for the Yankees’ financial plans, in speaking to people with knowledge of the organization’s situation I find that Bellinger’s return is not less likely because they retained Grisham.
The organization might be surprised he took the offer, but they’re not at all upset about it, retaining a player who they view as a solid defender in CF with an above-average OBP that can hit 20+ HRs.
Furthermore, Grisham will only be on a one-year contract, so he doesn’t affect their long-term payroll in any manner, which could keep New York interested in some other top free agents.
I do believe that Cody Bellinger and Tatsuya Imai were near the top of their board, and I wonder if they’ll have the financial flexibility to do that or if they’ll now have to pivot.
They were preparing to make an aggressive pursuit for Imai, but whether that’s changed following last night’s news remain to be seen.
Cody Bellinger is a player I expect them to still go after, and perhaps that rules out Imai if the team has no intentions of blowing past their payroll from last year (~$315 million), but if they’re all-in on spending, it could be a big winter.