{"id":370810,"date":"2025-12-26T07:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T07:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/370810\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T07:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T07:51:10","slug":"yankees-news-aaron-judge-pushing-for-bellis-return-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/370810\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees News &#038; Buzz: Yanks confident Cody Bellinger won\u2019t go to Mets; Aaron Judge pushing for Belli\u2019s return, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/category\/new-york-yankees\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:New York Yankees;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">New York Yankees<\/a> may or may not re-sign Cody Bellinger, but they seem confident that they won\u2019t lose him to the New York Mets. Captain Aaron Judge is pushing for his return, as his all-around game is badly needed. Austin Hays has been gaining traction as a potential fallback option, but that scenario would not be so kind for the Yanks for many reasons. Let\u2019s dive into the news!<\/p>\n<p>Yankees are \u2018confident\u2019 that Cody Bellinger won\u2019t depart for Mets<\/p>\n<p>Cody Bellinger remains the Yankees\u2019 top offseason priority, and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/25\/sports\/what-yankees-think-of-chances-of-losing-cody-bellinger-to-mets\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:according to Jon Heyman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">according to Jon Heyman<\/a>, the organization is quietly confident this won\u2019t turn into another Juan Soto-style defection to Queens. While the Mets are monitoring the market and could theoretically jump in, the Yankees believe Bellinger is comfortable in the Bronx and unlikely to use them as leverage the way Soto did a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>That confidence suggests talks are real, even if nothing is imminent. Still, New York isn\u2019t prepared to be reckless. The Yankees like the fit \u2014 a strong defensive left fielder with a left-handed bat tailored for Yankee Stadium \u2014 but they\u2019re unwilling to overextend themselves in a market where several teams appear more interested in shorter-term deals.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"bellinger, yankees\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/7c0f123378a64b671882b3fbb135e33d.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>bellinger, yankees<\/p>\n<p>Whether Heyman\u2019s reporting reflects genuine momentum or a strategic nudge from Scott Boras\u2019 camp remains to be seen, but with spring training looming, the standoff may not last much longer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/new-york-yankees\/yankees-are-confident-that-cody-bellinger-wont-depart-for-mets\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:READ MORE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Yankees\u2019 Aaron Judge is pushing for reunion with Bellinger<\/p>\n<p>Aaron Judge has added another layer to the Bellinger saga by personally advocating for his return, a voice that carries real weight inside the Yankees\u2019 front office. Judge praised both Bellinger and Trent Grisham after the season, and with Grisham already back on a one-year deal, Bellinger now stands as the harder \u2014 and far more expensive \u2014 piece to retain.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>While Judge can\u2019t dictate roster moves, his support reinforces what\u2019s already been reported: Bellinger is the Yankees\u2019 clear top target. The team remains measured rather than desperate, aware of the competitive market that includes the Mets, Dodgers, and Giants.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a belief that Bellinger would be happy staying in New York, but as with most Boras clients, preference only matters if the financial terms are close. Until Bellinger makes his choice, the Yankees\u2019 internal limits will stay hidden.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/new-york-yankees\/yankees-aaron-judge-is-pushing-for-reunion-with-cody-bellinger\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:READ MORE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bellinger backup plan would be a disaster<\/p>\n<p>The Yankees\u2019 otherwise quiet offseason has been defined by patience \u2014 or paralysis, depending on perspective \u2014 with Bellinger at the center of it. Brian Cashman appears content to wait out the market, betting that Bellinger\u2019s volatility and stadium-dependent value will suppress his leverage. If that gamble fails, however, the fallback plan is far less inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Austin Hays has emerged as a potential Plan B, a solid defender who mashes lefties but profiles more as a platoon piece than a lineup anchor.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"MLB: Wildcard-Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers, austin hays, yankees\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/f90f179cf1182002d1967953d49d078f.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>That path would force the Yankees to lean heavily on Jasson Dominguez and nightly matchup management, a risky proposition for a team with championship ambitions. Hays offers a respectable floor, but he\u2019s a clear downgrade from Bellinger\u2019s ceiling. In refusing to overpay, the Yankees may be choosing restraint \u2014 or accepting a roster with more questions than answers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/yankees-cody-bellinger-backup-plan-142637034.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:READ MORE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Related Headlines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Yankees may or may not re-sign Cody Bellinger, but they seem confident that they won\u2019t&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[4260,73984,4711,4279,146320,363,1189,369,99,4710],"class_list":["post-370810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-aaron-judge","tag-austin-hays","tag-cody-bellinger","tag-dodgers","tag-jon-heyman","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-sports","tag-trent-grisham"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}