The clock is ticking in the Bronx, and Cody Bellinger still isn’t wearing pinstripes. With just weeks to go before pitchers and catchers report, the standoff between the New York Yankees and the former NL MVP has become one of the defining sagas of the MLB offseason.
Money Isn’t the Issue – It’s the Years
Despite clear interest from the Yankees and at least two offers reportedly on the table, Bellinger isn’t budging, not because of the dollars, but because of the years.
According to reports, New York has offered a five-year deal in the range of $155 to $160 million, with no deferrals. That’s a significant commitment for a player with a rollercoaster career arc. But for Bellinger, it’s not enough. The 30-year-old is holding firm, seeking a seven-year deal that would keep him under contract well into his late thirties. And that’s where things get sticky.
The Risk of Another Long-Term Gamble for Yankees
The Yankees, for all their storied history and big-market swagger, have shown a more cautious hand in recent years, especially when it comes to long-term deals for players entering the back half of their prime. Bellinger, coming off a bounce-back campaign in which he slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs, was a key piece of the offense and posted a strong 5.1 WAR season. But is that enough to warrant a seven-year commitment?
From the front office’s perspective, probably not. Bellinger’s recent resurgence is promising, but the memory of his slump-riddled seasons in Los Angeles still lingers. Consistency remains the biggest question mark, and the Yankees know better than most what can happen when long-term deals outlive a player’s peak.
Losing Bellinger to the Mets Would Be a PR Disaster
Yet the risk of losing him, perhaps even to their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, only raises the stakes. The Mets have the money, the need, and the willingness to make a splash. If Bellinger heads to Queens, it would not only sting for Brian Cashman and company, but it would also leave a significant hole in an offseason that’s already been unusually quiet for the Yankees.
Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker loom as potential alternatives, but neither would come cheap, and both would likely require trade capital that the Yankees may be reluctant to part with. Unless Bellinger and the Bronx can meet somewhere in the middle, this is a standoff that could end with New York missing out entirely.
In the high-stakes game of baseball free agency, timing is everything. And for the Yankees and Cody Bellinger, time is running out.
