The New York Yankees are preparing for life without Cody Bellinger and have a two-man shortlist of stars to replace him, it has been reported, amid an impasse in contract talks with the left-hander.
Bellinger was a cornerstone of the team last season, with the Yankees trading for him from the Chicago Cubs after losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets.
Now in free agency, ESPN says the Yankees have offered Bellinger a five-year contract worth $30million a season.
It’s about the going rate – Pete Alonso got a five-year, $155m contract with the Baltimore Orioles and Kyle Schwarber inked a five-year, $150m deal with the Philadelphia Phillies recently.
But Bellinger wants more money and a longer deal, ESPN says, and the Yankees are ‘now operating under the assumption that Bellinger is going to sign elsewhere’.
To replace him, they have two free agents under consideration in outfielder Kyle Tucker, formerly of Houston Astros and the Cubs, and infielder Bo Bichette who was at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Aaron Judge looks likely to be lining up without Cody Bellinger for the New York Yankees
If Bellinger leaves, Kyle Tucker is an option for the Yankees to pursue as a replacement
Bo Bichette, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, is another player who is under consideration
Intriguingly, Bichette plays as a shortstop and if he arrived at Yankee Stadium, it would heap pressure on Anthony Volpe, who held on to his position despite some awful errors and a cold bat in 2025.
Tucker crushed 22 home runs and 73 RBIs last year, while Bichette got 18 HRs and 94 RBIs. Both records are lower than the 30-year-old Bellinger’s 29 home runs and 98 RBIs.
So losing Bellinger would be a blow, whoever the replacement would be. He was magnificent in the outfield for the Yankees too as he played in left, right and center field at various points across the campaign.
In late December, the New York Post said that Yankees captain Aaron Judge was pushing the front office hard to get Bellinger back in pinstripes.
So far in the offseason, the Yankees have been pretty quiet after losing in the playoffs at the American League Division Series stage to the Blue Jays.
They have agreed deals to bring back Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarborough and Amed Rosario and earlier this week took reliever Kaleb Ort off wires to bolster bullpen depth.
ESPN says as well as Bichette and Tucker, the Yankees have also engaged in trade talks with other teams. It will need to be for a big name to soften the likely blow of losing Bellinger.
The Yankees start the season on the road to San Francisco Giants on March 25.
