Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Latest Cody Bellinger Contract Update Should Delight Yankees

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Dec 20, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Cody Bellinger may not be as expensive as we feared. The New York Yankees free agent was recently rumored to be asking $400 million for his next contract, but an update from his agent might put some of those worries to bed.

According to Forbes' Barry M. Bloom on Twitter (now X), Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, asked Bloom to retract an earlier statement suggesting the exorbitant number, calling it "nonsense".

"Scott Boras said my report about Bellinger asking for $400m was 'nonsense' and asked me to retract it," Bloom wrote."In immense respect to him and our decades-long relationship and despite my very credible source, consider it retracted. He didn't give me a replacement figure."

Scott Boras said my report about Bellinger asking for $400m was "nonsense" and asked me to retract it. In immense respect to him and our decades-long relationship and despite my very credible source, consider it retracted. He didn't give me a replacement figure. pic.twitter.com/aslNtBIQky
— Barry M. Bloom (@Boomskie) December 19, 2025

A fan in the comments followed up with Bloom, asking, "Are you sure your source didn't mix up Bellinger and [Kyle] Tucker? Hard to see anyone asking for $400M for Bellinger with a straight face, even a snake like Boras." Bloom responded with certainty, "No. Not possible."

Bellinger is being courted by a number of big-market teams this winter, with Yankees rivals in the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers looking like the most realistic landing places. The Mets are known for their deep pockets lately, as are the Dodgers, and the Mets need an outfielder after shedding Brandon Nimmo. The Dodgers would also likely love to have their Bellinger back.

What is Bellinger Asking For?

The market still has no clear winners, with Jack Curry of YES Network saying "No one has come close, I don’t think, to the demands that are ongoing for Bellinger" on a recent episode of Hot Stove.

According to The Athletic's big board of MLB free agents, Bellinger is expected to land a seven-year, $182 million contract (per Tim Britton), which would be expensive, but far more reasonable.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Boras may wait for Tucker to sign before making an official move with Bellinger, which would also leave the Yankees in a tight spot. The team does not seem to have a strong backup plan for Bellinger's position, and Tucker was floated as a backup option in the early offseason.

Bellinger, who turns 31 in July 2026, batted .272/ .334/ .480 with an .814 OPS this season with the Yankees, logging 29 home runs and 98 RBIs. As a defender, Bellinger's seven outs above average place him in the 93rd percentile.

Bellinger reportedly loved playing with the Yankees, where his dad won the 2000 World Series, but Boras has a reputation for being ruthless, and those personal preferences may not matter in the end.

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