After losing generational slugger Juan Soto to a record-setting free agency deal from the New York Mets last year, the New York Yankees may be anxious to prevent another power-hitting outfielder from exploring the open market after a single season with the team.
However, after this season, that outfielder—30-year-old Cody Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP, whom the Yankees acquired in an offseason deal with the Chicago Cubs—is anticipated to test free agency by using the opt-out option in his contract. Unless the Yankees are able to finalize a deal extension with him beforehand.
With a career-low strikeout rate of just 13 percent, 27 home runs (also his third-best total), and an OPS of.832 (the third-highest of his nine-year career), Bellinger would be well-positioned to demand a sizable raise over the $25 million the Yankees are expected to pay him next season, assuming he stays in New York.
However, seasoned MLB insider Jon Heyman claims that Bellinger might be open to signing a new contract with the Yankees on one condition in exchange for forgoing a chance at free agency.
In order to prepare the team for its first World Series championship since 2009, the Yankees would probably need to reassure Bellinger that they intend to take more steps. However, Pinstripes Nation analyst Sara Molnick claims that Bellinger’s emphasis on winning “aligns with the Yankees’ current trajectory.”
“There is a lot on the line. Molnick wrote on Monday that Bellinger’s desire for a competitive roster aligns with the Yankees’ own pursuit of another championship banner in the Bronx. However, there is not much time left. New York could only have a short window to act because the opt-out is approaching and other clubs are getting ready to submit bids.
A six-year contract for $189 million, or around $30.3 million annually, would be anticipated of Bellinger, according to the sports business website Spotrac.
The most important question facing the storied team in the upcoming summer will likely be whether the Yankees are prepared to commit to a player who will be 37 years old by the conclusion of the contract extension.
