On Friday, it was revealed that New York Yankees target Cody Bellinger is reportedly asking for $36-$37 million to sign, which is outrageous, and the organization is happy playing the waiting game for now. We might reach a point, however, where the Yankees need to get over Bellinger and start seriously considering other alternatives. Additionally, the team claimed hard-throwing righty Kaleb Ort via waivers. Let’s dive into the news as we head into the weekend!
Yankees’ pursuit of Cody Bellinger is hitting a $37 million road block
The Yankees’ pursuit of Cody Bellinger remains very much alive, but the standoff is rooted in money more than motivation. While Brian Cashman views Bellinger as the cleanest way to stabilize the lineup and outfield, his camp’s reported asking price of $36–37 million per year has created a hard pause.
That number pushes Bellinger into a financial tier typically reserved for perennial MVP-caliber stars, and the Yankees are unconvinced his profile warrants that level of commitment.
Internally, they see value in his left-handed power and Yankee Stadium fit, but not at a price that assumes near-perfect production with little margin for regression. For now, the organization is content to wait, banking on limited league-wide appetite for that salary eventually bringing negotiations back toward reality.
The Yankees need to get out of the Cody Bellinger trap in free agency
As negotiations drag on, the Yankees’ lack of visible pivot has become part of the story. Cody Bellinger and Scott Boras appear comfortable waiting, while New York continues to signal that he remains their primary free-agent focus. That approach has drawn scrutiny, especially given the team’s growing trade flexibility elsewhere.
Behind the scenes, rival clubs are reportedly more interested in under-the-radar pitching prospects than headline names like Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones, giving the Yankees legitimate avenues to address starting pitching if they choose to act.
With arms such as Elmer Rodriguez emerging as potential trade centerpieces and depth pieces like Ben Hess gaining industry respect, the organization has options. The criticism isn’t that the Yankees can’t pivot—it’s that they haven’t meaningfully tried, leaving them stuck in a self-imposed waiting game rather than dictating the market themselves.
The Yankees claim Kaleb Ort off of waivers, add 96 MPH fastball to their bullpen
The Yankees added bullpen depth by claiming the right-hander Ort off waivers, a move first reported by Ari Alexander. Ort’s recent seasons have been interrupted by injuries, including elbow issues in 2025, but clubs remain intrigued by the raw quality of his arsenal. He features a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with strong vertical movement, a sweeping slider that generates whiffs at a high rate, and a cutter that grades well by modern pitching models. Despite an uneven 2025 that resulted in a 4.89 ERA, Ort will occupy a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster for now.
Ort is not an unfamiliar name within the AL East, having spent his early big-league years with the Red Sox before moving to Houston in 2024. That first season with the Astros showed real promise, as he combined a high strikeout rate with excellent control, albeit at the cost of too many home runs due to an aggressive, strike-throwing approach. Those gains didn’t carry over into 2025, when injuries and wavering command led to a sharp spike in walks and inconsistent results overall.
Still, the Yankees are betting on upside. Ort’s power fastball–slider combination mirrors the profile teams look for in late-inning relievers, even if his command and consistency have lagged behind his stuff. New York has a recent track record of salvaging arms with similar backgrounds, and Ort represents a low-risk flyer: if the adjustments click, the bullpen gets a live arm with real potential; if not, the Yankees can easily move on.
Could the Yankees find their next Cam Schlittler breakout prospect?
Baseball America’s updated Yankees prospect rankings highlight just how much faith the organization and industry have in its pitching development machine. The biggest riser is Mac Heuer, an eighth-round pick who jumped to No. 12 in the system despite underwhelming college results. The Yankees are betting on traits rather than stats: size, raw arm strength, elite spin rates, and mechanical inefficiencies they believe are fixable.
The parallels to Cam Schlittler are clear—another mid-round arm who unlocked velocity and fastball shape after learning to pitch more directly through the ball. If New York can clean up Heuer’s fastball consistency and refine his secondaries, he has the upside to become one of the system’s most intriguing arms by the end of 2026, reinforcing the Yankees’ growing reputation as a pitching development powerhouse.