Yankees may have interesting issue with star free agent

The New York Yankees are said to have interest in free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, but a new report indicates they may have one issue with the former MVP.

Bellinger had a big bounceback season after signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs last offseason. He batted .307 with 29 doubles, 26 home runs and an .881 OPS while finishing 10th in NL MVP voting and winning a Silver Slugger award.

But according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, some with the Yankees are concerned with Bellinger’s hard-hit rate.

If the Yankees are concerned about Bellinger’s hard-hit rate, they may feel that some of his lofty batting average was due to luck. Hitting a ball hard tends to be a good predictor of a player’s ability to generate hits.

Bellinger got off to a great start early in his career. He won NL Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers in 2017 and captured NL MVP two years later. He slugged 47 home runs with a 1.035 OPS that season and won a Gold Glove as well. But Bellinger’s batting average completely fell off the ensuing three years. Bellinger batted .239 in 2020, .165 in 2021 and .210 in 2022.

If the Yankees have concern about Bellinger’s hard-hit rate, they may be worried about a potential dropoff in 2024 and future years.

Bellinger, 28, has shown that he can carry a team when he’s going well. He’s also shown that he can completely tank a team during a down season.