The New York Yankees could have a hole in the outfield as Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo are both free agents.
If the Yankees lose both Soto and Verdugo, New York will be aggressive in free agency to land an outfielder to replace them. However, MLB insider Joel Sherman did an article that mentioned three potential trade candidates for the Yankees and listed Cody Bellinger.
“There was a feeling among executives with whom I spoke at the GM meetings that the Cubs, who nudged above the lowest luxury-tax threshold of $237 million last season, would like to fall below the low bar of $241 million in 2025,” Sherman wrote. “And the ability to have maneuverability and still do that was greatly impacted by Bellinger not opting out of his contract for $27.5 million in 2025, which will count for $26.7 million toward the luxury tax.
“Scott Boras’ clients almost always will use whatever mechanism they have available to get into free agency and let the market dictate their salary,” Sheman added. “That Bellinger did not opt-out. Therefore, should be a signal of doubt about whether Bellinger clearly could do better than $52.5 million for two years. Which Bellinger is assured if he picks up his $25 million 2026 player option after next season.”
Bellinger is a former MVP winner and would add some offense to the Yankees lineup, especially if they lose Soto in free agency.
Bellinger has two years left on his three-year $80 million deal.
Insider Has Concerns About Yankees
Although Sherman did link Bellinger to the Yankees, he’s uncertain if he makes sense.
Bellinger’s defensive play has struggled this season, but Sherman still thinks his bat could be enough to entice New York.
“The industry had lots of concerns about underlying metrics that showed Bellinger did not hit the ball consistently hard,” Sherman wrote. “And he dropped 130 OPS points from 2023 (.881) to 2024 (.751). His WAR (Baseball Reference) was halved from 4.4 to 2.2. Scouts will tell you he still can play the outfield. But he is not special out there anymore. And, that his best position by far is first base, where he is very good.
“Is there still enough here in age (Bellinger doesn’t turn 30 until July). Limited strikeouts (15.6 percent the past two years. A good mark similar to Arenado’s 15.5 percent over the same period), still some defensive versatility and good speed (though his steals dropped from 20 in 2023 to nine last year)?,” Sherman added.
Bellinger hit .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs last season with the Cubs.
Yankees Focused on Re-Signing Soto
Although Sherman linked the Yankees to Bellinger, the team’s focus is on re-signing Soto.
At the GM Meetings, Brian Cashman said New York will do whatever it takes to bring Soto back.
“I had a conversation with (agent) Scott Boras yesterday,” Cashman said… “We certainly have an interest in retaining him and we’ll put our best foot forward there. But at the same time, that’ll either lead to us retaining him and signing him back. Or we’ll be forced to go in a different direction if we can’t. If we can’t, there’s a lot of different players in this marketplace that can positively impact this roster.”
Soto hit .327 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs in the playoffs with the Yankees. In the regular season, he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in 157 games.
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Insider Links Yankees to Trading For Star $80 Million Outfielder