The New York Yankees are willing to do something for Cody Bellinger that they don't typically do for anyone else.
The New York Yankees are currently locked in a contract standoff with Cody Bellinger, with the two sides expressing rather stark differences over his value.
The Yankees have reportedly offered $31-32 million annually over five seasons while Bellinger is apparently seeking $36-37 million in AAV across seven years.
Perhaps New York and Bellinger and bridge that gap, and maybe the Yankees are amenable to getting a bit creative — while going outside their comfort zone in the process — in order to do so.
Brendan Kuty of The Athletic has reported that New York is actually willing to include opt outs in Bellinger's contract, something the Yanks do not typically do.
The Yankees provided an opt out in Gerrit Cole's contract, but that's about it. Much like handing out contract extensions, New York doesn't usually go that route.
Is it a hard-line rule? Clearly not, or else the Yankees wouldn't have done it for Cole. But it has generally been New York's protocol, and the Yanks are certainly not the only team that tends to follow that rather tight policy.
Cody Bellinger. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.However, the fact that the Yankees are willing to break their status quo for Bellinger is evidence that they absolutely still want to keep the former NL MVP, and it does make you wonder if the two parties will eventually settle on an agreement.
Remember: over the weekend, a report surfaced that New York was essentially moving on from Bellinger and operating as if the 30-year-old would not be on the roster in 2026.
The fact that Alex Bregman, 31, landed a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs did not exactly do the Bronx Bombers any favors, as a legitimate argument can be made that Bellinger is a superior player to Bregman at this stage. He is also about a year-and-a-half younger.
However, Bellinger also has a rather checkered injury history, which is almost certainly a sticking point for the Yankees in negotiations.
New York originally acquired Bellinger in a trade with the Cubs last winter. The outfielder proceeded to slash .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI over 656 plate appearances in 2025 while also playing impressive outfield defense, particularly at the corners.
No other teams appear to be making an aggressive push for Bellinger at the moment, so we'll see if the Scottsdale, Az. native ultimately agrees to return to the Bronx.