Yankees could pay $168 million for reunion with free agent outfielder

Jim Bowden of The Athletic has dropped his top 50 MLB Free Agents, and the Yankees are all over the list of teams who could make splashes in the market.

Cody Bellinger is an obvious target for the Yankees, and he projects to get a six-year $168 million contract in the article, but is it fair value for both sides?

On one hand, Bellinger is a valuable part of the team and made an incredible first impression in New York, but on the other, the team has seen what happens when they extend a six-year contract to a versatile glove-first player recently.

For the Boras client, a $28 million per year deal wouldn’t be a massive raise on an annual basis from last year, which begs the question of whether there’s a higher ceiling for a potential contract.

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Cody Bellinger Projected For Six-Year $168 Million Contract, Will the Yankees Pay Up?

Cody Bellinger produced 5 WAR for the Yankees according to Baseball Reference, making him the second-most valuable player on the team this past season.

He is an elite defensive corner outfielder who was 25% better than average offensively if you look at wRC+, and that ability to combine defense and offense makes him valuable to any team.

Where the Yankees could have issues with re-signing Bellinger has to do with who’s available on the market, most notably Kyle Tucker who will be available to sign in the open market.

Kyle Tucker has recorded 4 WAR or more in each of the last five seasons, ranking inside the top 10 in position player WAR on FanGraphs over that stretch.

His balance of power and contact is a nudge better than Cody Bellinger’s, having a vastly superior eye at the plate which allows him to ambush hittable pitches at a similar rate while walking at nearly twice the rate.

Defensively, Bellinger is a far superior player, but on the bases Tucker has remained a surprisingly excellent runner despite losing some speed over the years.

Would a ~$10-15 million gap in annual average salary give the Yankees enough financial flexibility to make a Tucker pursuit obsolete, or should they just pursue the better player?