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Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a single in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees Confident Mets Aren't Cody Bellinger Threat

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Dec 26, 2025 7:21 AM ET

The start of the offseason must have felt like Déjà vu for the New York Yankees front office. Here was their Scott Boras represented star outfielder Cody Bellinger, who played Robin to Aaron Judge's Batman, and Steve Cohen's crosstown Mets were on the prowl. They should not have been surprised, though, because a left-handed bat with an outstanding resume in the league who has 30 home run power, and can play multiple positions at a gold glove level is valuable to any team. That is especially true for a team like the Mets, which can flex their wallet whenever someone they want becomes available.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, though, Brian Cashman and company are not fretting this off-season the way they did Juan Soto's free agency last year. The word he used in the Bombers' pursuit of Bellinger is "confident."

"For the second straight year, the Yankees and Mets are battling over a star outfielder, and this time it's Cody Bellinger, who enhanced his free agency with his 5.1 WAR season," Heyman wrote for the Post on Christmas Day. "He fits both teams as someone who can play some first base. Kyle Tucker is the No. 1 free agent, but Bellinger's versatility works better for the New York teams. (His price tag is lower, too.) The Yankees have made him their priority and seem pretty confident that, unlike superstar Juan Soto, he won't skip to Queens."

Heyman also mentioned that Aaron Judge has advocated for Bellinger's return. The captain likely has the same hope that fans do that he can get some help around him in the lineup. Last winter, it was Soto, and now, Bellinger, who has a similar resume to his with a rookie of the year and MVP under his belt, is the next big bat he hopes Hal Steinbrenner can lock in.

Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

An Aversion to Signing Bats

What makes the Bellinger pursuit interesting is that the acquisition of bats on the free agent market has been few and far between for the Yankees during the Judge era. Most of the big deals that Steinbrenner has doled out over the years have been to starting pitchers the likes of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. They almost added another big deal in Yoshinobu Yamamoto that winter when they traded for Soto.

The pursuit of Soto, despite losing him, and now Bellinger, is the Yankees moving away from the norm. Leading up to the winter that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were available, it seemed fated that the Yankees would land at least one of them.

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Instead, they opted for a super bullpen with Adam Ottavino and Zach Britton. The bat they acquired was DJ LeMahieu, but that was more for his versatility. Who could have imagined him to be in the MVP conversation that year?

The Yankees' aversion to paying for bats outside of ancillary pieces led to that weird 2023 season, when the lineup featured Billy McKinney, Josh Donaldson, Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers, and rookie Anthony Volpe. It also did not help that Judge was injured that year. The following season, they went out and got Soto, and when they lost Soto a year later, they traded for Bellinger.

The Yankees hope that by signing Bellinger, they can avoid finding themselves in the position they were in after 2023. For now, they will have to play that Boras game.

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