New York Mets are actively pursuing Cody Bellinger

Mets On SI previously reported back in early-November that the Mets were expected to be heavily in on Bellinger's market. This has proven to be the case thus far.

Bellinger is coming off a big year for the Yankees, where he slashed .272/.334/.480 with a .814 OPS, 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 152 games. Bellinger also had an impressive bWAR of 5.1.

The 30-year-old brought superb defense to the Yankees as well, posting a combined 15 defensive runs saved in left and right field.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns harped on run prevention in his end-of-season press conference. This means the Mets need to improve both their pitching and defense.

By adding Bellinger to replace Nimmo in left field, the Mets would ultimately be upgrading their defense significantly, which is something they already did at the second base position with Semien.

Bellinger could also provide insurance at first base if superstar Pete Alonso walks in free agency. However, Bellinger is a much better fit in the outfield and the Mets could still bring Alonso back to play first base and DH.

Since Nimmo was dealt, Bellinger and the Mets look like the perfect match for each other. That being said, there's some hefty competition for Bellinger's services in the Yankees, Phillies, Dodgers and likely several others.

The Mets swiped a star from the Yankees last offseason when they landed right fielder Juan Soto on the richest contract in sports history at 15-years, $765 million. While Bellinger won't cost nearly as much, nor will he have as dramatic of a sweepstakes, the Mets can repeat history by stealing another impact player away from the Yankees from the second straight year.

Bellinger will turn 31-years-old next season. It's currently unknown what type of deal he is seeking but it's fair to expect him to be looking for a long-term contract in free agency.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.