The New York Yankees have to be frustrated with the way things are going with Cody Bellinger.
Given that Scott Boras is Cody Bellinger's agent, the New York Yankees had to know that they would be in for a long, drawn-out process with the former NL MVP.
After all, Bellinger is in very high demand, and with fellow outfielder Kyle Tucker likely to demand considerably more money, it never made a ton of sense for Bellinger to sign immediately unless he badly wanted to return to the Bronx.
Right now, it definitely seems like Bellinger is biding his time and playing the field, and MLB insider Robert Murray provided a rather frustrating update on the slugger's market during a recent episode of The Baseball Insiders podcast.
"I don't have a good feel for the timing, if I'm being honest," Murray said. "I could see it happening after Christmas, I could see it happening after the New Year. I genuinely don't know."
As for whether or not Murray feels Bellinger will ultimately return to the Yankees?
"They're still trying, but who knows," Murray said. "With him lingering on the market, anything can happen there."
Murray also cited Bellinger's last free agency during the 2023-24 offseason, when he didn't re-sign with the Chicago Cubs until February.
Cody Bellinger. Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images.It's also important to remember that Bryce Harper, another Boras client, waited until March to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2019.
Does that mean Bellinger will be out there for the next couple of months? Not necessarily, but it does indicate that Boras is certainly willing to wait for his client to get the best possible deal.
What's concerning here for the Yankees is that if Bellinger 100 percent wanted to re-sign, he probably would have done so already, or we would at least here more momentum building toward it. Instead, it's really been a whole lot of nothing.
We've heard a bunch of teams connected to Bellinger, including — and not limited to — the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants.
Who wouldn't want a player who can play all three outfield positions as well as first base while posting an OPS north of .800?
The Yankees definitely need to have a rock-solid backup plan in the event that Bellinger departs. As of right now, it looks like that consists of rolling with some combination of Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones in left field, but most New York fans probably wouldn't find that feasible.
We'll see what happens, but the Yanks could end up waiting a while here.