The New York Yankees\u2019 latest contract offer to free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger was for five years and between $31 million and $32 million a year ($155 million to $160 million total) without deferrals, and the club has been open to the possibility of including opt-outs, according to a source briefed on the ongoing talks.<\/p>\n
The source spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely about the negotiations.<\/p>\n
Bellinger\u2019s camp has expressed interest in a deal as long as seven years, as The Athletic reported last week<\/a>, and the sides continued talks over the weekend aimed at closing the gap. It\u2019s unclear how much money Bellinger may be seeking. NJ.com\u2019s Bob Klapisch reported<\/a> that Bellinger wants between $36 million and $37 million a year. As talks unfold slowly with Bellinger, the Yankees have continued to keep tabs on potential trades, and on the free-agent markets of Bo Bichette, an infielder, and Kyle Tucker, an outfielder.<\/p>\n But while it\u2019s unclear how many issues the Yankees and Bellinger disagree on, at least one area of friction appears to be differing interpretations of the free-agent market and Bellinger\u2019s standing in it, multiple league sources say.<\/p>\n In other words, should Bellinger get a longer deal because he\u2019s younger?\u00a0Or has the trend in recent agreements pointed to where he should expect to land?<\/p>\n The three richest deals agreed to by position players this offseason were by third baseman Alex Bregman with the Chicago Cubs<\/a>, first baseman Pete Alonso with the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber with the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a>. All three contracts were for five years.<\/p>\n Bregman\u2019s deal was worth $175 million, but with $70 million deferred, the present-day value is expected to be around $30 million to $31 million per season, or around $150 million to $155 million total, according to The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal.<\/p>\n Alonso signed for $155 million, equating to $31 million in average annual value. Schwarber signed for $150 million, or $30 million in AAV.<\/p>\n Alonso and Bregman are clients of agent Scott Boras, who represents Bellinger. Schwarber is represented by Casey Close of Excel Sports Management.<\/p>\n Alonso, who recently turned 31, will be 36 years old when he\u2019s eligible to become a free agent again. Bregman turns 32 in March, and his deal takes him through his age-36 season. Schwarber will be 33 in March and his contract will take him through his age-37 season.<\/p>\n Bellinger, 30, is younger than all of them, and could argue his deal deserves to be longer than theirs, bringing him to a similar stage of his playing career.<\/p>\n A five-year deal for Bellinger would carry him through his age-35 season. A seven-year deal would bring him through his age-37 season, like Schwarber, but a year beyond the deals Alonso and Bregman accepted.<\/p>\n But the Yankees could point to the length of the deals given to Bregman, Alonso and Schwarber.<\/p>\n