It’s been anticipated that Bellinger would decline his $25 million participant possibility in pursuit of a long-term deal this winter, as he loved a stellar season with the Yankees after being acquired from the Cubs as a wage dump final December. Traded for Cody Poteet – the Yankees additionally obtained $5 million from Chicago – Bellinger went on to slash .272/.334/.480 with 29 dwelling runs, 98 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a 125 wRC+ earlier than hitting .214 with a homer and 4 RBI over seven postseason video games.
Bellinger, a part of the Yankees’ post-Juan Soto pivot final winter, primarily hit third behind Aaron Decide, performed all three outfield positions and briefly hung out at first base.
Whereas the 30-year-old can now check the open market, he stated he would “absolutely” be fascinated by remaining a Yankee after the workforce misplaced the ALDS.
“I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform,” Bellinger added. “Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room, it really is special. It’s such a fun group. It was a fun group to be a part of.”
Bellinger’s father, Clay, performed for the Yankees from 1999-2001, and common supervisor Brian Cashman has stated that the participant’s agent, Scott Boras, pushed for the 2019 MVP to develop into a Bomber previous to the 2025 season.
Bellinger additionally slot in properly with the Yankees’ clubhouse and made followers out of the workforce’s shot-callers, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the 2 sides attain a long-term deal this winter.
“Certainly, we’d love to have him with our team moving forward, but we haven’t had any of those discussions,” Cashman stated on Oct. 16.
Re-signing Bellinger would add some readability to the Yankees’ outfield, as Trent Grisham can be a free agent after a profession 12 months that featured unprecedented offensive output. With Grisham a candidate for a qualifying supply, Aaron Decide is the Yankees’ solely solidified starter within the outfield, although kids Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones are a part of the equation.
Whereas not the very best in middle discipline, Bellinger can be a less expensive and extra versatile different to nook outfielder Kyle Tucker, the highest free agent available on the market. The previous Astro garnered commerce curiosity from the Yankees final offseason however was dealt to the Cubs days earlier than they dumped Bellinger.
The Yankees ought to critically pursue Tucker, the higher total participant, however the expectation is that they may make Bellinger a precedence as a substitute.
Chicago signed Bellinger to a three-year, $80 million deal – with opt-outs after the primary and second seasons – previous to the 2024 marketing campaign. He opted into the second 12 months of the deal for $27.5 million earlier than being traded to the Yankees.
