The Major League Baseball regular season is just one month from concluding. The New York Yankees are in the American League playoff picture and still within reach of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.
However, it’s never too early to think about the offseason and the player transactions that the Yankees’ front office will make. As is the case every winter for a team with a high payroll, New York will have several decisions on key players and other free agents that the Yankees may want to bring into their organization.
One of those top free agent decisions is Cody Bellinger, who has put together an excellent offensive season and is likely to opt out of his current deal in search of a new contract.
Yankees’ Cody Bellinger Expected to Stay After Free Agency
The Yankees have a few players expected to be free agents following this season, including relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver as the big names. Bellinger will likely opt out of the final year of his three-year, $60 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
After all hope looked lost in the back half of his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger has clearly found his offensive footing again with the Cubs and the Yankees.
In a Bleacher Report free agent predictions piece, Cody Bellinger is listed as “staying” with the Yankees:
“Bellinger may never recapture his MVP form, but he’s had a strong first season in the Bronxâhitting .279 with 26 home runs, 83 RBI, and an .837 OPS. He’s also displayed tremendous defensive flexibility. Bellinger is expected to opt out of the final $25 million he’s scheduled to make in 2026, the final year of a three-year, $60 million deal. He may be looking at another similar deal in terms of length, but he only just turned 30 and won’t have a qualifying offer attached to him.”
What is at Stake for Cody Bellinger?
Bellinger’s agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for pulling star players out of their current deals in search of a more lucrative contract. For Bellinger’s case, it makes a lot of sense because he’s now in his 30s and may only receive one more lengthy contract, and as the metaphor goes, “strike when the iron is hot”. If he were to stay with the Yankees next season on his current deal, and he struggles, that would take his contract stock.
Considering everything, it would make sense that Bellinger gets a four- or five-year contract worth up to $150 million. He’s on pace to record a third consecutive season with an OPS+ of higher than 112, which is well above league average. If he hits just one more home run this season, that will mark his highest amount of home runs since his 2019 MVP season with the Dodgers.
He also continues to play stellar defense at really any outfield position, and has quietly been able to hit for average. Again, if he stays on pace, this will be his third consecutive season batting over .260, which could lead to a team offering a lucrative deal this offseason.
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