Is there room for Cody Bellinger with the 2026 New York Yankees?
Decision time for Bellinger is rapidly approaching for who he wants to spend the next several years of his career with. Spring training camps all across the MLB landscape are scheduled to open for business in one month.
And having Scott Boras as his agent makes the situation all the more interesting. Boras, who at last count represents more than 100 MLB clients, has a reputation for being among the toughest negotiators in the business, routinely getting the most for the ballplayers he represents.
Just last month, slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, represented by Boras, bolted the New York Mets in favor of a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Last year, it was Boras that brought Juan Soto a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
Bellinger is now at the head of the free agent line, and there is little doubt that his agent is going to secure top dollar for the first baseman-outfielder.
So, what’s the hold-up in getting an agreement with a club?
Big-market clubs such as the Yankees, Mets, and even the Los Angeles Dodgers, the organization that drafted Bellinger and where he starred for six seasons, are the top contenders vying for his services. As recently as this past week, the Yankees are said to have made a second offer to retain his services. It’s widely believed that Boras is requesting five years or more for a deal to land his superstar client.
If you’re the Yankees, and if you are ready to move on from Bellinger after the season he gave the club in 2025 and become more fiscally prudent, then who is your Plan B to sign? Who is still out in the market that could give the Yankees equal or greater value in the lineup, at a lesser price?
There’s right fielder Kyle Tucker, last with the Chicago Cubs, who is said to be in search of $300 million–$400 million to sign. Tucker is also said to have been seen visiting the Toronto Blue Jays’ training facility in Dunedin, Florida, 30 miles east of his home in the Tampa area. So Tucker may be looking elsewhere than with the Yankees to play for his foreseeable future.
Playing alongside Juan Soto with the Mets in the New York City borough of Queens at Citi Field might be a better option for Bellinger. With the Mets having traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers this off-season, there is room for Bellinger, a former National League Rookie of the Year and MVP, in manager Carlos Mendoza’s lineup.
As things now stand, the 2026 Yankees outfield is crowded. After the club offered a $22.025 million, one-year qualifying offer to center fielder Trent Grisham, which he accepted, all three outfield positions have been filled. Unless New York trades Jasson Dominguez, last season’s primary left fielder, there will be no place to position Bellinger. With Dominguez in left, 2025 American League MVP Aaron Judge in right field, and Grisham in center, Bellinger is the odd man out. Also, the Yankees have a highly rated prospect in Spencer Jones, who they hope to bring up at some point this coming season for a look-see in the outfield.
Last season, Ben Rice saw action at first base for the Yankees, and he appears to have the inside track as far as earning that starting position. Giancarlo Stanton is the everyday designated hitter for New York. So, plugging Bellinger into an everyday role would take a good deal of maneuvering. Perhaps this is why, if the Yankees truly want him back, other pieces of the roster have to be moved first.
Even with 94 wins in 2025, the Yankees took it on the chin in postseason play as Toronto, the eventual American League champion, ousted New York in the Division Series. Some of the smaller personnel moves that Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, has pulled off don’t promise to move the needle much in 2026. Signing pitchers Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, and also bringing back infielder Amed Rosario, can’t excite the Yankees’ fan base as much as locking up Bellinger for years to come would do.
Hal Steinbrenner, chairman and managing general partner of the Yankees, has been calling the shots for the team since 2010. His sense of a player’s worth, on the field and in dollars to the organization, makes him well qualified in assessing Bellinger’s free agent status and value.
And Bellinger’s services won’t come cheap. Even after nine seasons, his 2025 statistics with the Yankees of 160 hits, 29 home runs, and 98 RBIs show that his skills haven’t peaked. If the Yankees truly want to keep Bellinger in the fold, the resources are there to make it happen. If not, there is no shortage of financial will over in Queens to welcome him to the Mets organization.
Time is getting short in finding out who will have Cody Bellinger on their roster. Bidders beware. Bellinger is looking for a deal that could take him up until his final season. With him, what you see is what you get, for a handsome price.
