Despite a flurry of rumors regarding the Yankees, including potential interest in Bo Bichette, the club is still putting Cody Bellinger as their top priority according to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.
After hitting 29 home runs with elite defense in left field during the 2025 season, the Yankees want to run it back with a player who they loved having on the roster.
While the team does have potential backup plans in mind, Bellinger coming back is their ideal outcome and they’ve submitted multiple official offers to the player over the last few weeks.
The public reporting of offers being made would be an indication that these two sides are actively working towards a contract as both sides are aiming for a resolution as soon as this week.
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Cody Bellinger Remains the Yankees Top Priority As Negotiations Continue
The Yankees loved what they saw from Cody Bellinger in his debut season in pinstripes, as he mashed 29 home runs while posting an .813 OPS for the club.
He was their second-most valuable player when looking at WAR (5.1) during the 2025 season as he played an importanrt role as an anchor in the middle of the lineup and one of the team’s top defensive players.
It’s been a long negotiation process despite Brian Cashman’s very public desire to retain Cody Bellinger, but the reports from the last few weeks would indicate there’s some progress in these talks.
Whether the team gets this deal done or not remains to be seen, but the Yankees seem to be the favorites in the Bellinger sweepstakes at the moment.
Teams such as the Mets are involved in the bidding process, but their reported interest levels are unknown given some skepticsm that they would hand out a massive contract to a 30-year-old outfielder.
Questions could also be asked about how well of a fit Bellinger would be in that ballpark, but these are more speculatory talking points, and it will be interesting to see if the Yankees’ bid is the top one and if other teams were a real threat.
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