{"id":416102,"date":"2026-01-19T03:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T03:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/416102\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T03:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T03:33:10","slug":"yankees-prepared-to-let-cody-bellinger-walk-after-latest-offer-klapisch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/416102\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees prepared to let Cody Bellinger walk after latest offer | Klapisch"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was only two days ago that I wrote about a potential bidding war between the Yankees<\/a> and Mets<\/a> for Cody Bellinger<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It was a logical assumption based on several factors. Mets owner Steve Cohen and his limitless cash had whiffed on Kyle Tucker<\/a>, and his team needs a corner outfielder.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve since been told that an inter-borough war \u2014 as irresistible as it might be for hot-stove junkies to follow \u2014 will probably never get off the ground. <\/p>\n

The Yankees have made the internal decision to hold the line on Bellinger, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. They\u2019re convinced that their latest offer of five years, $160 million with two opt-outs is not only fair, but it\u2019s their last proposal. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.<\/p>\n

While the door remains open for further talks with agent Scott Boras<\/a>, the message to Bellinger\u2019s camp is unmistakable: Take it or leave it.<\/p>\n

Yes, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner<\/a> is aware he could be outbid by Cohen, assuming the Mets\u2019 tycoon is interested in Bellinger. That remains to be seen, given how quickly Cohen pivoted from losing Tucker to the Dodgers to signing Bo Bichette<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are alternative scenarios for the Mets, including chasing lefty starter Framber Valdez. He could be worth as much as $150 million over five to six years. The former Astro has piqued the interest of the Mets, Orioles, Cubs and Giants.<\/p>\n

But plucking Bellinger away from the Yankees would address the Mets\u2019 need for a replacement for left fielder Brandon Nimmo. And, let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s always the dividend of out-bidding the Yankees for a second straight year, as was the case with Juan Soto.<\/p>\n

As of now, Steinbrenner has decided he\u2019s gone far enough with Bellinger. Talks with Boras stalled last week after the two sides moved closer on a new contract\u2019s annual average value \u2014 $32 million per. <\/p>\n

But then came the deal-breaker. <\/p>\n

Boras still wants seven years. The Yankees aren\u2019t budging off five.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf (Boras and Bellinger) can do better than that, the Yankees\u2019 attitude is, \u2018Fine, take it, good luck,\u2019\u201d is how one major league source put it this weekend.<\/p>\n

If history has taught us anything, it\u2019s that Boras won\u2019t cave any time soon. He\u2019s been known to keep his clients on the sidelines while he inevitably sniffs the industry\u2019s one panicked owner. <\/p>\n

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso<\/a> held out until Feb. 12 before re-signing with the Mets last year (he opted out after one season and has since moved on to the Orioles<\/a>). <\/p>\n

And starting pitcher Blake Snell didn\u2019t sign with the Giants in 2024 until March 19 \u2013 and even then, it was for only one year because of an opt-out.<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s no reason to think Bellinger\u2019s free agency will be resolved quickly. <\/p>\n

Unless \u2026<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no market interest in Bellinger at seven years. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the angle the Yankees are counting on. Remember, they like Bellinger. He\u2019s on good terms with everyone in the franchise, and he\u2019s especially popular in the clubhouse. He\u2019s skilled at four positions (outfield and first base), has a home run swing suited for the Yankee Stadium short porch in right, and has family ties to the pinstripes (his father, Clay, played for the Yankees).<\/p>\n

Bellinger blasted 29 home runs and hit .348 with runners in scoring position last year, eight points higher than Aaron Judge.<\/a> <\/p>\n

But still, Bellinger has carved out a reputation as an MLB star \u2014 not as a superstar. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Yankees are holding firm. They believe five years is a reasonable commitment to a player of Bellinger\u2019s talent level and age (he\u2019ll be 31 in July). The time for a longer-term deal would\u2019ve been in Bellinger\u2019s 20s, when he was one of the Dodgers\u2019 best players.<\/p>\n

The Yankees are playing a hunch that Boras will eventually see the light. It wouldn\u2019t be the first time the super-agent read the market incorrectly. In both Alonso\u2019s and Snell\u2019s cases, the late, short-term deals were hatched because Boras couldn\u2019t drum up interest elsewhere. <\/p>\n

The Yankees expect the return of pitchers Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rod\u00f3n and Clarke Schmidt, plus a full season from Cam Schlittler. Even so, the Yankees\u2019 offense will still need to replace Bellinger\u2019s clutch-quotient hitting and defensive versatility.<\/p>\n

Bichette was being sought after as the Yankees\u2019 Plan B until \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 Cohen outbid everyone. For now, the plan is to give Jasson Dominguez a shot as the everyday left fielder, hope Trent Grisham can duplicate last year\u2019s 34 home runs, and prepare top prospect Spencer Jones for his inevitable call-up to the Bronx.<\/p>\n

That combo won\u2019t likely be enough for another 94 wins, even if the rest of the AL East looks less threatening than in 2025. Most of the offseason talent has migrated to the National League.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a blessing for the Yankees as they approach Year 17 of the current championship drought. Their best option, of course, is to bring Bellinger back.<\/p>\n

Time will tell. Until then, the stare-down continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was only two days ago that I wrote about a potential bidding war between the Yankees and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-416102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416102","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=416102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}