Sep 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Austin Hays (12) advances to third base on a single from Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (7) (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Cody Bellinger Alternatives Are Sparse for Yankees

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Jan 18, 2026 3:00 PM ET

The Mets may have signed Bo Bichette, but with an owner like Steve Cohen, they may not be finished. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns emphasized run prevention, and Cody Bellinger checks that box off in a big way, seeing as his 7 Outs Above Average across multiple positions was in the 93rd percentile in MLB, according to Baseball Savant. This may be an issue for the New York Yankees, seeing as they made Bellinger the center of their universe this winter.

The New York Post's Greg Joyce detailed what could be next if they miss out on Bellinger. It's a solution mix of homegrown talent and plucking from what's left in free agency.

"Brian Cashman has said all along that they could head into spring with a left field competition between Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones," Joyce writes for the Post. "And if they do end up missing on Bellinger, it would not be surprising to see them add a right-handed hitting outfielder — someone like Austin Hays — to form a potential platoon with Domínguez, a switch-hitter who is much better from the left side."

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Earlier in his piece, Joyce also mentioned Eugenio Suarez as the next best bat behind Bellinger. Though, given the Yankees' current infield situation, it's hard to see the fit there.

"Now that Tucker and Bichette have agreed to deals elsewhere, the market for Bellinger should become more defined, with the lefty-hitting outfielder becoming the clear-cut top hitter available in free agency — and by a decent margin, with third baseman Eugenio Suárez the next best hitter remaining."

Austin Hays as an Option

Hays could be somewhat intriguing. He can be a platoon bat with Jasson Dominguez. In that scenario, Dominguez would get most of the reps against righties, and against lefties, Hays would slide into the lineup.

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The issue with Hays is that he doesn't make the team much better. He'd have the role Austin Slater was supposed to, but that isn't a tough mountain to climb.

Last season, Hays hit .266/.315/.453 with a 105 wRC+ in 103 games. The big hope is that he replicates that — and that, too, isn't a high expectation. The fact is, the 29-year-old's ceiling isn't very high. His best season was 2023, when he posted a 111 wRC+ across 144 games. The only fans who might find themselves garnering any sort of emotion for Hays are Orioles fans, pining for the good old days of 100+ loss seasons.

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