Cody Bellinger Alternatives Are Sparse for Yankees

The Mets may have signed Bo Bichette, but with an owner like Steve Cohen, they may not be finished. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns emphasized run prevention, and Cody Bellinger checks that box off in a big way, seeing as his 7 Outs Above Average across multiple positions was in the 93rd percentile in MLB, according to Baseball Savant. This may be an issue for the New York Yankees, seeing as they made Bellinger the center of their universe this winter.

The New York Post's Greg Joyce detailed what could be next if they miss out on Bellinger. It's a solution mix of homegrown talent and plucking from what's left in free agency.

"Brian Cashman has said all along that they could head into spring with a left field competition between Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones," Joyce writes for the Post. "And if they do end up missing on Bellinger, it would not be surprising to see them add a right-handed hitting outfielder — someone like Austin Hays — to form a potential platoon with Domínguez, a switch-hitter who is much better from the left side."

Aug 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez arrives at Rate Field before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Earlier in his piece, Joyce also mentioned Eugenio Suarez as the next best bat behind Bellinger. Though, given the Yankees' current infield situation, it's hard to see the fit there.

"Now that Tucker and Bichette have agreed to deals elsewhere, the market for Bellinger should become more defined, with the lefty-hitting outfielder becoming the clear-cut top hitter available in free agency — and by a decent margin, with third baseman Eugenio Suárez the next best hitter remaining."

Austin Hays as an Option

Hays could be somewhat intriguing. He can be a platoon bat with Jasson Dominguez. In that scenario, Dominguez would get most of the reps against righties, and against lefties, Hays would slide into the lineup.

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Austin Hays (12) celebrates an RBI double in the first inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The issue with Hays is that he doesn't make the team much better. He'd have the role Austin Slater was supposed to, but that isn't a tough mountain to climb.

Last season, Hays hit .266/.315/.453 with a 105 wRC+ in 103 games. The big hope is that he replicates that — and that, too, isn't a high expectation. The fact is, the 29-year-old's ceiling isn't very high. His best season was 2023, when he posted a 111 wRC+ across 144 games. The only fans who might find themselves garnering any sort of emotion for Hays are Orioles fans, pining for the good old days of 100+ loss seasons.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!