Yankees Competition is Fierce for Cody Bellinger

The New York Yankees have long felt like the favorites to sign Cody Bellinger, and while several big-name free agents have come off the board over the past few days, the club is still facing some major competition in its quest to retain the former National League MVP.

Despite signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract after missing out on Kyle Tucker, On SI's Pat Ragazzo has reported that the Mets remain in the hunt for Bellinger.

"The Mets are still in play for free agent first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, as sources told Mets On SI on Friday," Ragazzo wrote.

The Yankees simply can't afford to lose out on Bellinger, even if their outfield is already in good shape, and now it appears the pressure is ramping up as they look to seal the deal.

Sep 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) follows through on an RBI single against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Latest Updates on Yankees, Bellinger Contract Talks

As reported by the New York Daily News' Bill Madden, the Yankees are not moving off of their current offer to Bellinger, which is worth somewhere in the range of $155 - $160 million over five years.

Hearing Yankees unfazed by the Dodgers’ Tucker contract re:Bellinger and are not budging on their reported 5 year/$155-160 offer for him. According to one source: “They will not engage in a bidding war for him. They’re at where they’re at and that’s not changing.”
— billmadden1954 (@bmadden1954) January 16, 2026

Bellinger, per multiple reports, has been seeking a seven-year deal and has yet to move off of that demand at this stage of the offseason.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman recently reported that the Yankees were willing to add several opt-outs in their offer to Bellinger alongside a sizable signing bonus and no deferrals.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported late last week that negotiations between the two parties were at a stalemate, and that the Yankees were under the assumption Bellinger would be playing for another team in 2026, but contract talks have seemingly remained ongoing.

Yankees Can't Let Bellinger Walk

As previously mentioned, the Yankees' outfield is a strong unit. With Aaron Judge in right field, Trent Grisham back in center field after accepting the qualifying offer and Jasson Dominguez in left field with Spencer Jones waiting in the wings, retaining Bellinger wasn't necessarily essential for most of the offseason.

At this point, though, the Yankees don't have any high-level fallback options left should Bellinger sign elsewhere now that Tucker and Bichette are no longer available.

New York will remain one of the AL's top clubs no matter what happens with Bellinger, but the same can't be said about their standing in the league as a whole when clubs like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Mets have improved over the last few days.

With the Mets also appearing to resemble the biggest threat to the Yankees in the Bellinger sweepstakes, the gap between the Bronx Bombers and the NL's best teams could grow should the 30-year-old head to Queens.

The Yankees have been dormant all offseason, and while it's not over, they simply have to mark their presence and come away as the winners in this situation by re-signing Bellinger.

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