The new year of 2026 is here, and that means MLB Spring Training is just a couple of months away. The free agency frenzy has slowed down a bit, but there are still big names on the market, including Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and others.
Another name that is drawing interest from a number of teams is New York Yankees OF Cody Bellinger.
His market is robust, and the Yankees are expected to have interest in bringing him back to the Bronx in 2026.
But, surprisingly, the Los Angeles Angels are also linked to Bellinger, and a return to Southern California could be appealing to the former Los Angeles Dodgers star.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com gave an update on the Bellinger front, and for now, the Angels are still in the mix of teams for Bellinger.
"The two New York teams seem like the obvious fits for Bellinger, though the Angels, Blue Jays and Dodgers remain in the mix," Feinsand wrote.
But, the MLB insider revealed why the Angels make sense, and a big reason is that they traded Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the offseason.
"The Angels have a need in the outfield after trading Taylor Ward to Baltimore, and their recent settlement with Anthony Rendon should give them some payroll relief, making them an intriguing option if Bellinger wants to return to Southern California. Bellinger settled on a shorter-term deal the last time he hit the free-agent market, but with no qualifying offer attached to him as he enters his age-30 season, he’s likely to wait as long as he can until he finds the long-term deal that has evaded him."
Now, ESPN's recent contract projection is six years and $180 million for Bellinger, and it seems unlikely that the Angels will commit to that much money for an outfielder who turns 31 in July.
On the other hand, the Angels are in desperation mode and are hopeful to get to the playoffs, or, at the very least, find a way to win some games and breathe excitement into the fanbase once again.
The big issue is that the Angels would have to outbid other top-tier teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees and Blue Jays, or the Angels will wait around as long as possible and hope that Bellinger is still around in February in hopes of a prove-it type deal.
Only time will tell, but at least the Angels are in the mix.