I continue to say that the New York Yankees will end up with Cody Bellinger back on the roster next year, but as more and more comes out in the early stages of the offseason, it doesn't seem like it's a guarantee by any means.
According to the latest from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, a Yankees reporter for the outlet, he even thinks the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the mix.
“Expect the battle for Cody Bellinger to be more aggressive than many think, especially given the Los Angeles Dodgers need an outfielder and have a long history with him.
“Ultimately, we expect him to re-sign with the Yankees, where he was perhaps the MVP among everybody not named Aaron Judge. Bellinger provided a 125 OPS+, leadership and the ability to play four positions. He could wind up back in center field with the Yankees, who will likely not give Trent Grisham the qualifying offer,” he wrote.
I genuinely don't think the Yankees should overpay for a player like Bellinger, but I also don't love the impact of potentially losing him.
The only way I could see it making sense is if they landed Kyle Tucker, but Kuty even went as far as saying that he doesn't expect the Yankees to really be too involved with Tucker, despite the fact that they'll probably make calls on him.
Bellinger isn't as good a player as Tucker at this stage of their careers, and I'm a bit worried that there's a possibility that the Yankees don't end up with either one of them.
As long as they leave the offseason with one of the two players, I wouldn't view it as a disappointment.
However, when we factor in the possibility of losing someone like Trent Grisham, the whole ordeal becomes a lot more confusing than it might seem.
The Yankees would have to rely on acquiring another outfielder or allow some young players to continue playing.
The harsh reality for the Yankees is that this is an organization built on winning championships, and having young guys who are unproven doesn't exactly help them get there.