Yankees best way forward was to keep Cody Bellinger in the Bronx
Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger gestures to the dugout against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium on June 11, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Credit: Getty Images/Jay Biggerstaff
Considering the nearly three-month contract standoff between the Yankees and Cody Bellinger, the timing of Wednesday’s agreement was notable, as the news just happened to break as the Mets were in middle of introducing their own free-agent prize, Bo Bichette, at Citi Field.
But this wasn’t so much about trying to steal the spotlight from Flushing as it was the confluence of events that led to Bellinger’s return to the Bronx, the place that many predicted — myself included — he would play in 2026 and beyond. The Yankees had made Bellinger their priority since the start of the offseason, but didn’t enter these negotiations with a blank check. And by playing the long game with agent Scott Boras — as well as getting an assist from their Queens rival — GM Brian Cashman landed their top target on palatable terms.
The reunion just made too much sense not to happen. But it was probably no coincidence that Bellinger’s five-year, $162.5 million deal, as sources confirmed, wasn’t finally agreed upon until after the Mets pulled off Tuesday’s late-night swap for centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., effectively removing them — and Steve Cohen’s aggressive wallet — from the Bellinger sweepstakes.
Pitting New York’s heavyweights against each other has become Boras’ favorite pastime since Cohen’s arrival, but the Yankees never wound up in another Juan Soto-style, intracity bidding war — or at least made it clear they weren’t interested in doing so with Bellinger. That isn’t usually a winning strategy when it comes to a Boras client, but in this case, Bellinger certainly seemed enthusiastic about wearing pinstripes again coming off a big season in the Bronx (that prompted him to opt out of his $25 million option for 2026).
Cashman repeatedly acknowledged how Bellinger was a “great fit” for the current composition of his roster — a superb defender that gives Aaron Judge some degree of protection in the lineup. Judge won his third MVP with Bellinger hitting behind him last year, won his first batting title (MLB-best .331) and also led the sport with a 1.144 OPS.
Judge turns 34 this April, so when the Yankees have a combination that works, there’s no need to overthink it. Bellinger showed last season that he’s capable of performing here, both at the plate as well as a premium glove at multiple positions, so there was no point in rolling with the dice with anyone else. Since Bellinger will be 31 in July, the Yankees ideally got him at the right age, but he also has opt-outs after the second and third years of this contract, according to a source, so it could also be a relatively short stay.
No matter. The Yankees’ championship window is now, and since Hal Steinbrenner has shown no inclination to go full-Dodger in that pursuit, Bellinger checks all the right boxes for this team’s immediate needs (he also got a $20 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause). With Jasson Dominguez yet to live up to his Martian hype, and the Yankees forever wary of Spencer Jones’ strikeout issues, Cashman obviously wasn’t ready to hand over any of his regular outfield jobs to the next generation.
But Cashman had to pretend for the sake of these negotiations, knowing full well that Bellinger needed to be back, especially with little else to show in the way of offseason upgrades. The Yankees’ winter also got off to a rocky start when Trent Grisham — the productive but expendable centerfielder — was one of a record four players to accept the $22.025 million qualifying offer. Handing Grisham a $17 million raise right from the jump had to sting, and no doubt impacted the Yankees’ retooling approach, as former Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers is the only major-league player Cashman has added from outside the organization this winter (taking into account the returning free agents).
Bellinger had to happen. And at least with him back on board, the Yankees not only have the same nucleus of last year’s 93-win team (that lost the East on a tiebreaker to the AL champ Blue Jays) but should be improved with the return of Gerrit Cole, who missed all of ’25 due to Tommy John surgery, and a full season of rookie phenom Cam Schlittler, as the pitching is what ultimately failed in the Division Series loss to Toronto. Plus, Bellinger (.272 BA, 29 HRs, .813 OPS) was an integral part of an offense that led the majors in runs scored (849), homers (274), slugging percentage (.455) and OPS (.787), so why mess around with that formula?
The peerless Judge is the engine of that destruction, of course. But it would be foolish to underestimate Bellinger’s contribution, which goes back to the “fit” Cashman kept referring to. The all-around impact of a Bellinger isn’t easy to find, and data alone won’t guarantee that you can identify a suitable replacement. Bellinger already has the been-there, done-that bona fides of success as a Yankee, and capitalizing on the Bronx ballpark doesn’t hurt, either. Bellinger hit .302 at home with a .909 OPS (as compared to .241 and .715 on the road) so that certainly was a great fit, too.
Having Bellinger back in leftfield, and hitting third, was always the best-case scenario for the Yankees this winter — at almost half the salary of Kyle Tucker. And by now, here in late January, it was the last scenario left with spring training only three weeks away. Better late than never, and the Yankees are definitely a better team now.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
