Cody Bellinger-Yankees Signing Leaves One Elite Free Agent Left

There is still one elite free agent left on the open market right now.

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

There are just a few weeks left to go until Spring Training kicks off across Major League Baseball.

We've started to see teams across the league start to put finishing touches on their rosters ahead of time with the latest being the New York Yankees officially announcing the return of outfielder Cody Bellinger on Monday afternoon. It was a roller coaster of an offseason between the two parties with Bellinger linked to a handful of teams, but the Yankees ultimately brought him back on a five-year, $162.5 million deal. New York announced the deal on Monday.

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"The New York Yankees today announced that they have re-signed infielder/outfielder Cody Bellinger to a five-year Major League contract with two player opt-outs," the Yankees announced.

There's one big free agent left

Sep 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Now, there is just one elite free agent left on the open market. It has been a bit of a weird offseason and has moved at a snail's pace. When the offseason began, the group of elite free agents arguably included Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez. Now, with Bellinger officially off the market, all of these guys have signed except Valdez.

The two-time All-Star logged a 3.66 ERA in 31 starts in 2025 for the Houston Astros. Overall, he has a 3.36 ERA after eight big league seasons. The fact that he is still available shows how much the market has shifted even in one year. Valdez entered the offseason with free agent comparisons to Max Fried. Last year, he landed a $218 million deal after logging a 3.07 ERA across his first eight big league seasons. They're both 32 years old, although Fried hit the open market a year earlier. He landed his big deal right around the winter meetings once the Juan Soto sweepstakes ended.

January is just about to come to an end and yet arguably the top starter in this year's free agent class is available. He's the final elite free agent out there and it's somewhat surprising he's available.

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