Cody Bellinger’s Top Landing Spots in MLB Free Agency After Luis Robert Jr. Traded to Mets
Another potential Cody Bellinger suitor likely fell to the wayside on Tuesday night, as the New York Mets traded for centerfielder Luis Robert Jr., likely ending their foray into the outfield market.
That leaves one primary suitor still in the running for Bellinger—the team he played for last season, the New York Yankees. And that team’s leverage may only be increasing.
Over the weekend, Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger reported that the Yankees “have made an internal decision not to engage in a bidding war for Bellinger if the Mets or anyone else swoops in with a blow-away offer,” and that the team has a five-year, $160 million offer on the table with a pair of opt-outs. They believe it’s “a fair proposal” and are “prepared to let Bellinger walk.”
After losing Bo Bichette, the Toronto Blue Jays would make sense as a Bellinger suitor, at least from the perspective of replacing some of the offensive production lost when the infielder signed with the Mets.
But the Blue Jays have already had a busy offseason, signing Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto, among others. And as Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported, “the Jays haven’t appeared particularly interested in [Bellinger] this winter. It seems unlikely the Jays will suddenly become intrigued enough to beat the Yankees’ current offer.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Bellinger was considering four teams in total (though one of them was the Mets, who can probably be removed from the conversation at this point).
So, who are the mystery teams? Are they simply a Scott Boras fabrication in a ploy to create leverage?
Bellinger’s agent, the aforementioned Boras, previously noted that the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels were interested in Bellinger, though as Brendan Kuty of The Athletic noted, there hasn’t been much buzz surrounding any of those teams.
The Philadelphia Phillies could make a move for Bellinger after missing out on Bichette, but that would likely require moving off other salaries elsewhere and would also make their lineup extremely heavy on left-handed bats.
Could the Boston Red Sox look to steal Bellinger away from their division rivals, replacing Alex Bregman’s offensive production in the process? It’s certainly possible, though they currently have a logjam in the outfield and already added veteran Willson Contreras at first base. That makes them an unlikely suitor.
At this point, the Yankees feel like the overwhelming favorites, but don’t count out the mystery teams. If they actually exist, that is.
