With less than a month to go until spring training, the New York Yankees still do not have an answer for one of their top offseason questions. Will outfielder Cody Bellinger be playing in the Bronx and wearing pinstripes in 2026? The Yankees have reportedly put their best offer on the table and are now awaiting if Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, can find something different on the open market?
On Monday’s episode of Foul Territory, Jim Bowden mentioned that he does not believe the Yankees have a Plan B in place if Bellinger decides to go elsewhere.
Bellinger has been a player that the Yankees tried to get in previous offseasons. Last year, the organization was able to acquire him via a trade with the Chicago Cubs and it ended up paying huge dividends for the team. In 152 games, Bellinger had a slash line of .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs while posting a .813 OPS.
The 29 home runs were the most that he had hit in his NL MVP season of 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers (47). That year was also the last time that Bellinger played in more than 150 games before this past season.
Bellinger was able to help the Yankees last year in a variety of ways. In addition to his home run hitting, he was able to post the second-highest WAR (5.1) behind Judge, put up 20+ doubles for the fourth straight year, and he could play all three outfield positions as well as first base if the team needed him to.
If you are looking for players that just fit well for Yankee Stadium, Bellinger is that guy. The left-handed hitter had the most hits of any Yankee at home in ‘25 (90) and his 18 home runs and 55 RBIs at home were both second behind Judge. He is the player that can stay on the field and be a good protector for Judge.
The last time there was a player that the Yankee fanbase wanted to keep at all costs going into an offseason was DJ LeMahieu. While the Yankees gave in and gave LeMahieu a six-year deal in ‘22, that contract ended up backfiring on them when they DFA’ed him in ‘25. Will they end up doing that again? We shall see. In fact, the last player to record 90+ hits in a season at Yankee Stadium was LeMahieu in 2019.
If they don’t bring him back, there aren’t many plan B options the Yankees can turn to in terms of outfielders. There is the option of familiarity in Harrison Bader. Bader, who will be 32 in June, is coming off of the second-best season of his career in terms of WAR (3.9) and had a career-high 17 home runs. Bader can provide versatility off the bench against right-handed pitching and give them a veteran option off the bench.
Now, there is always the trade market. The Yankees could choose to use their starting pitching depth and make a deal for the likes of Steven Kwan (Guardians), Lars Nootbaar (Cardinals), or Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox). However, none of those options outside of Kwan are really going to impact the Yankees offense drastically.
The Grisham qualifying offer does put the Yankees in a bind in terms of outfielders. Yes, it may seem like they gave Grisham too much money, but the market for free agent outfielders besides Kyle Tucker was not really there.
The organization needs to figure out what Jasson Dominguez’s role is going to be. Is Dominguez going to be a full-time player or are they going to use him in a package to make a big trade? Plus, they have Spencer Jones waiting in the wings down in Triple-A that could maybe make his big league debut this season.
With that being said, if the Yankees do not land Bellinger, it might be best for them to further enhance a strength and add to the rotation with a trade (Freddy Peralta, maybe?). Last year, their starters had the most wins in baseball (66), posted a 3.61 ERA (4th in MLB), and were tied for sixth in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
It has been a strange offseason for New York Yankees fans as they watch their team not bring in that significant piece that will help them win a title. Even if Bellinger re-signs, it will feel like the team is just running back last year’s squad. The Plan B worked last year when they lost out on Juan Soto (Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt, Devin Williams, Bellinger), but would lightning strike twice for Brian Cashman and company?
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