General manager Brian Cashman has made no secret of the team’s desire to retain Bellinger. The former MVP’s first year in the Bronx was excellent. He hit .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, his highest total in a season since 2019. Bellinger’s bat played very well at Yankee Stadium, where he posted a .302/.365/.544 line with 18 longballs.
New York acquired Bellinger from the Cubs last winter in what amounted to a salary dump. They said goodbye to journeyman Righty Cody Poteet while assuming all but $5 million of the remaining two years and $52.5 million of Bellinger’s contract. When he finally opted out, the Yankees paid $27.5 million for that excellent year. It could take a five- or six-year commitment to bring him back as he enters his 30th season.
The Yankees have had a quiet first few months of the offseason. Their only significant move was to submit a qualifying bid Trent Grisham. He surprisingly accepted and is back in center field on a one-year, $22.025 million contract. Bellinger was ineligible for the QO after receiving one from the Cubs in the 2023-2024 offseason.
Grisham’s salary accounts for the majority of the $29.025 million they have spent in free agency to date. The remaining $7 million is split between three one-year deals to bring back Paul Blackbrand, Amed Rosario And Ryan Yarbrough. Their only MLB signing from outside the organization was the Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest.
That certainly won’t be the entire offseason for the Yankees. Presumably, they expected Bellinger’s free agency to last well into the winter. The two best free agent hitters, Kyle Tucker And Bo Bichetteeach makes sense on paper if Bellinger goes elsewhere. Signing one of Tucker or Bellinger would allow them to rotate their outfielders through the designated hitter spot Giancarlo Stanton spends some time on the injured list. Bellinger could spell Ben Rice at first base and/or taking playing time in left field Jasson Dominguezwho still has a few options left.
An outfielder isn’t an absolute necessity, but it’s probably the best way to add an impact position player. Shortstop would be the primary alternative. Bichette is the only real solution there and faces questions about his defensive fit. He could be an option to handle shortstop for a season and move up to second base once Jazz Chisholm Jr. will hit free agency in a year. The Yankees have reportedly made Chisholm available in trade talks, but that would replace one of their better all-around position players.
The other option would be to make a spin splash with it Gerrit Kool, Carlos Rodon And Clarke Schmidt opening the season on the injured list. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez And Zac Gallen are the best remaining free agent starters now that NPB is right Tatsuya Imai is off board due to a three-year contract with Houston. The Yankees were one of the teams linked to Imai when he was a free agent, but both Heyman And Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote after the signing that the Yanks were not seriously involved in the bidding.
Grid source projects the Yankees for a luxury tax bill of $286 million. Owner Hal Steinbrenner has talked broadly in the past about wanting to stay under the $300 million cap, although Cashman suggested in November that this isn’t a hard cap this offseason. The Yankees had a luxury tax payroll of $320 million at the end of the 2025 season.
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