The standoff between Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees appears to be less about interest and more about other factors, including how far the team is actually willing to go regarding money.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Yankees would like to re-sign Bellinger after what was viewed as a decent season in pinstripes. He fit the roster, produced at the plate, and proved he could handle the pressure of New York.
On paper, a reunion makes sense. However, if the dollar signs don’t, Bellinger has every right to chase the biggest deal.
“Maybe the best working example of this is Bellinger: He is coming off an excellent season and the New York Yankees want to retain him, but there is apparently a sizable gap between what his side wants and what the team is willing to pay. Bellinger made $27.5 million last season and it's hard to imagine his representative, Scott Boras, settling for a deal that averages less than that…
“In the same way that the Red Sox and Bregman might need each other most, the same could be said of Bellinger and the Yankees in a similar scenario: Testing the market while his old team lurks in the background. Expect to see the Yankees' version of a full-court press for him though they've balanced their lineup from the left side of the plate better in recent years. Where they were more desperate in the past for that balance, they may not be in need of it as much,” he wrote.
Bellinger made $27.5 million last year, and bounced back in a major way.
From Scott Boras’ perspective, we all know that he’s going to look at the biggest deal, and Olney essentially confirmed that.
For the Yankees, the question isn’t whether Bellinger is a good bit, as it’s whether they’re comfortable paying him what he and Boras want.
Wanting a player back and being willing to meet the market are two very different things. The Yankees can love Bellinger’s impact while still internal limits on years and AAV.
I probably wouldn’t go with more than $30 million AAV, but we’ll see what happens.