{"id":295873,"date":"2025-11-20T17:22:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T17:22:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/295873\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T17:22:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T17:22:07","slug":"yankees-dodgers-and-blue-jays-circle-cody-bellinger-as-former-gm-makes-bold-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/295873\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees, Dodgers and Blue Jays circle Cody Bellinger as former GM makes bold call"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yankees, Dodgers and Blue Jays circle Cody Bellinger as former GM makes bold call<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Former MLB general manager Jim Duquette believes Cody Bellinger\u2019s free agency ends right where it began, back with the New York Yankees<\/a>. On MLB Network Radio show Thursday morning, Duquette projected a six-year deal \u201csomewhere close to $200 million\u201d for the versatile left-handed slugger and said his positional flexibility and defense make him one of the most valuable players on the market.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHis positional versatility, plus defense kind of fits as well as the offense,\u201d Duquette said. \u201cI think he\u2019s a really valuable player\u2026 I think he\u2019s going back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bellinger, 29, remains one of baseball\u2019s most intriguing free agents.<\/p>\n

After injuries derailed his Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> career, he stalled out with the Chicago Cubs<\/a> and then rebuilt his stock with the Yankees<\/a> by posting a .274\/.338\/.488 slash line, 28 home runs, 91 RBI and eight outs above average in 2025.<\/p>\n

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His ability to play both center field and first base gives clubs roster flexibility that few power hitters provide.<\/p>\n

While Duquette sees a reunion with the Yankees. several contenders loom.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, and New York Mets<\/a> have all been linked to Bellinger this winter, each with a different motive.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers know his ceiling and have payroll room to spend <\/a>after resetting their luxury tax \u2013 and would love to run up the cost for the Yankees. The Blue Jays, who need left-handed pop and lineup stability<\/a>, have inquired but face the same financial hurdles that pushed them out last winter. The Mets, meanwhile, are seeking a middle-of-the-order bat <\/a>to complement Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor after their 2025 lineup finished middle of the pack in OPS.<\/p>\n

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A six-year, $200 million deal would place Bellinger near Freddie Freeman and Brandon Nimmo territory, a price tag that reflects both his offensive ceiling and defensive value. If the Cubs match that kind of number, they\u2019ll lock up a cornerstone through his prime seasons. If not, the bidding may quickly turn into a three-team race between L.A., Toronto and Queens.<\/p>\n

Either way, Duquette\u2019s prediction underscores what front offices already know \u2014 Cody Bellinger isn\u2019t just one of the best bats available, he\u2019s a defensive asset whose next deal could reshape a contender\u2019s winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yankees, Dodgers and Blue Jays circle Cody Bellinger as former GM makes bold call originally appeared on The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295874,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[73182,49,48,508,8298,3640,4237,133318,487,462,475,3980,471,82,507],"class_list":{"0":"post-295873","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-brandon-nimmo","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-chicago-cubs","12":"tag-cody-bellinger","13":"tag-francisco-lindor","14":"tag-freddie-freeman","15":"tag-jim-duquette","16":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","17":"tag-mlb","18":"tag-new-york-mets","19":"tag-new-york-yankees","20":"tag-pete-alonso","21":"tag-sports","22":"tag-toronto-blue-jays"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295873\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}