Yankees Must Avoid Disaster by Making One Painful Offseason Decision

The New York Yankees have reportedly made multiple offers to Cody Bellinger in free agency, but neither of them have been satisfactory. At least not to Bellinger and Scott Boras.

Not even close, actually.

While the Yankees apparently offered just over $30 million per year, Bellinger is evidently seeking $36-37 million in average annual value over seven seasons.

That is absolutely ridiculous for a player of Bellinger's caliber, especially given that he is 30 years old with an injury history.

It would be the stunner of the winter if New York actually caved to Boras and gave Bellinger that contract. The chances of it happening are slim to none.

And to be quite frank, Bellinger might know that, but he may just be angling for the Yankees — or another team — to meet him somewhere in the middle.

New York may not be willing to do that, either, and the Yanks really can't afford to sit around and wait for Bellinger much longer.

I still believe a big reason why the the Yankees have not made any trades this offseason is because they do not know whether or not Bellinger will be on their roster in 2026. He was their starting left fielder last season. If they lose him, they will have no choice but to roll with Jasson Dominguez and/or potentially Spencer Jones.

And who are two of the most coveted Yankees players in trade talks? Yup: Dominguez and Jones.

At this point, New York may just need to move on from Bellinger. We are getting into the middle of January, and the Yankees have done absolutely nothing aside from a few ancillary moves. Meanwhile, teams around them are making improvements.

New York may need to start weighing other outfielders. Maybe signing Austin Hays in free agency really should be a thing. Or maybe the Yanks should pursue a trade for someone. Unless they are entirely comfortable rolling with Dominguez (which I don't think they are), another outfielder needs to be acquired.

Plus, the Yankees need to get a move on when it coms to addressing their starting rotation. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are both slated to miss considerable time to begin next season. There is also no guarantee that Cole — or even Rodon — will stay healthy and/or perform up to expectations.

Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore are available, and there may be some other pitchers New York can target, as well. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the idea of Gore, but if the price is right, why not? Matt Blake tends to get the most out of pitchers, so he could flourish in the Bronx.

Edward Cabrera has already been snapped off the market. The Yankees can't just continue biding their time and watch as Peralta and Gore find new homes, as well.

Bellinger is a good player, but he isn't elite. He isn't Juan Soto. And heck, at least Soto made his decision rather quickly last winter. For all we know, Bellinger could drag this out until February (which he has done in the past) or even March.

It's time for the Yankees to stop allowing Bellinger to hold them hostage. Moves need to be made.