Do the New York Yankees Have a Cody Bellinger Problem?

Let me start by saying that Cody Bellinger has been very, very solid in his first two years with the New York Yankees.

In fact, Bellinger was so impressive in 2025 that the Yankees signed Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract last offseason.

But do the Yankees suddenly have a problem when it comes to Bellinger?

Bellinger slashed .264/.338/.429 with 17 home runs and 73 RBI over 562 plate appearances this season. He was decent, not great, at the plate.

Of course, he was fantastic in the outfield, posting 21 defensive runs saved and six outs above average in left field. In fact, Bellinger has somehow gotten better defensively as he has gotten older, which is wild.

But at what point do we start talking about Bellinger's playoff resume?

The 31-year-old has slashed .204/.231/.367 in 12 playoff games with the Yankees. And if we want to go even deeper, he owns a lifetime .210/.276/.375 slash line across 81 postseason contests in total dating back to his Los Angeles Dodgers days.

Eighty-one games is enough of a sample size where you can start to say it's a problem, and considering how much the Yankees have struggled in October, it's very alarming.

Now, I do think New York should have re-signed Bellinger last winter. The Yankees had to keep him. I get it. But when you factor in his $20 million signing bonus, Bellinger made $42.5 million this year. He will also make another $42.5 million next season.

That's a lot of money for a guy who just posted a .768 OPS and labored in the playoffs, where he batted .190 this year.

Bellinger is a good player, but he is aging, and he is getting paid handsomely.

Now, the former NL MVP has an opt out in his deal after next season, but you kind of get the feeling that he will remain in the Bronx. He loves the Yankees, and I can't imagine him getting an incredibly lucrative multi-year deal entering his age-33 season in 2028.

So New York is probably "stuck" with him for the long haul (and I put "stuck" in quotations because it's not like he's an albatross ... yet), and you have to wonder just how much longer Bellinger will continue being such a net positive.

Bellinger's bat fell off a cliff after a strong start in 2026. Now, much of that had to do with the fact that Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were both sidelined, but that means you're paying superstar money for a guy who can't effectively produce without adequate protection and doesn't produce in October.

The three-time All-Star is probably good enough defensively to make it worthwhile for now, but whether or not Bellinger's contract will age will is a fair question to ask.