Are demons of the past giving the New York Yankees cold feet when it comes to Cody Bellinger?
The New York Yankees are widely expected to make a very serious push to retain Cody Bellinger, who is one of the top players on the free-agent market this winter.
Bellinger arrived in the Bronx via trade with the Chicago Cubs last offseason and went on to slash .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI over 656 plate appearances while also playing tremendous outfield defense in 2025.
There is no doubt that Bellinger was one of the Yankees' best players this past year, and most New York fans want the Yanks to re-sign him.
But is it possible the Yankees may actually be somewhat reluctant to keep the former NL MVP on a lucrative long-term contract?
Bellinger is now 30 years old and has an extensive injury history. He has also really only had two very good seasons since winning the MVP award back in 2019. Heck, as recently as 2024, he posted a pedestrian .751 OPS with the Cubs.
Considering that New York has been burned on long-term deals with players like Aaron Hicks and D.J. LeMahieu in the recent past, it stands to reason that the Yanks may be a bit gunshy handing another major deal to a player of a similar ilk.
Cody Bellinger. Credit: Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.And remember: when the Yankees extended LeMahieu following the 2020 campaign, he was coming off of a batting title after hitting .364. He also batted .327 the prior season, and he finished within the top four of AL MVP voting in both 2019 and 2020.
Bellinger wasn't that good in 2025, so there is absolutely reason to be apprehensive about signing him to such an expensive contract.
Let's say the Mets go to eight years and $200-plus million, for example. It's Steve Cohen, so it's possible. At that point, the Yankees might back away and decide to either roll with Jasson Dominguez or Spencer Jones in left field or acquire another outfielder elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong: I do think the Yanks should do everything within their power to re-sign Bellinger. He was a revelation for them this past season, and his versatility is incredibly valuable.
But it's not like Bellinger is a slam dunk to produce at a high level again in 2026.
There definitely exists a world in which the Yankees deem Bellinger to be too costly and decide to pursue a different route for left field, especially now that Trent Grisham accepted his $22 million qualifying offer.
That will be a tough pill to swallow for most of the Bronx faithful, but you should be preparing yourselves ahead of time so you're not blindsided if it happens.