Anyone who thinks the Yankees have the inside track on free agent Cody Bellinger should get acquainted with the gospel according to Scott Boras.
There are no sentimental favorites for anyone represented by the toughest, most pitiless agent in baseball. That means no hometown discount, no points for clubhouse friendships or special consideration for a warm relationship with the fans.
No one knows this better than the Yankees. Ownership is preparing for a long, drawn-out chess match with Boras, the industry’s master of three-dimensional negotiating.
So if the question is whether the Yankees think they can bring Bellinger back in 2026, the short answer is: It’s complicated.
The long answer? It’s very complicated.
Gone are the days when the Yankees could get away with simply marketing the pinstripes. It worked with aces Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, but the brand isn’t what it used to be.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner was all in on pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto two years ago, and he was even more committed to signing right fielder Juan Soto in 2024. Both were top-ranked free agents who nevertheless spurned the Yankees.
Club officials were convinced Yamamoto picked the Dodgers because he wanted to be teammates with two-way star Shohei Ohtani. That was the agenda from the get-go. The Yankees were never seriously considered.
Steinbrenner lost out on Soto because his family preferred the Mets, but the net effect was the same.
Both superstars decided that being a Yankee wasn’t all that important.
So how does this impact their chances with Bellinger?
The picture is pure fog, primarily because the outfielder who hit .272 with 29 home runs truly enjoyed his one season in the Bronx.
But didn’t Soto say the same thing, you ask? Great question.
No, Soto’s situation was quite different. He made it clear from the first day as a Yankee that he’d be filing for free agency at the end of the 2024 season.
Even though Soto had a terrific relationship with captain Aaron Judge, it didn’t change the fact that he was using the Yankees for a six-month showcase.
Soto was completely honest about it, too, just as he made it clear the field was wide open. The Yankees would get no special treatment.
Turns out they didn’t. Steinbrenner bid $750 million, more than double what he’d committed to Judge. The Yankees got so close to signing Soto that even Boras thought the deal was done.
But Mets owner Steve Cohen had a sneaking suspicion Soto could be lured to Flushing if he outbid the Yankees by a nominal amount — $5 million to exact.
That was enough to allow Soto’s family persuade the slugger to walk away from the Yankees. And it gave Boras the opening to say Soto had to take top dollar.
All of which is to say, Steinbrenner should’ve learned his lesson. Pinstripes and money don’t always mean a winning hand.
That’s why the organization has mixed feelings about chasing Bellinger. Of course, the Yankees want him back. They love everything about his game.
But there’s a strong sense of pessimism about the next four weeks. You could also call it realism — the expectation that Boras is about to pull a Soto 2.0.
Another executive whose team is not involved with Bellinger put it this way:
“When you negotiate with Scott, you’re not the one in control,” he said. “You’re just flying in his plane, along for the ride while he decides where he’s going to land.”
The Yankees are preparing for the worst. Outfielder Trent Grisham accepted their $22 million qualifying offer. Ownership wasn’t entirely surprised. Despite his past resume that previously included a high of 17 home runs, the Yankees believe Grisham’s 34-home-run season was legitimate.
And before anyone asks, there’s still enough cash in Steinbrenner’s war chest to afford Grisham and Bellinger. It depends, however, on whether Boras will play hardball and demand a six- or seven-year contract at $30 million per.
My crystal ball says the Yankees won’t go that high. Nor do I think they’ll go that high with right fielder Kyle Tucker. The organization is more than willing to stick with Jasson Dominguez in left and raise the curtain on Spencer Jones in center.
Many fans are hoping for a blockbuster signing and/or trade that will remake the Yankees this winter. Don’t hold your breath.
They won an American League-high 94 games last season, and they are convinced a rotation with a healthy Cole will make them even more dangerous in 2026.
We’ll see about that. In the meantime, talks with Bellinger continue. But as the exec said, the Yankees have fastened their seat belts with Air Boras. Prepare for turbulence.
A GOOD DEED:
There are plenty of Yankees fans who consider general manager Brian Cashman public enemy No. 1. He hasn’t delivered a championship in 16 years, which, until the streak is broken, is a debt he cannot repay.
But Cashman nevertheless pays it forward for disadvantaged kids who are homeless. It may or may not matter to the haters that the GM has a conscience, but charity remains an important part of his life.
Once a year, Cashman participates in Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out initiative. The event is designed to bring awareness to the organization that helps young people who’ve been displaced by drugs, unemployment or domestic violence.
On Thursday night, Cashman was one of 350 New York business leaders who slept outside the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan with temperatures in the low 40s.
“There are so many kids who are alone, handed a bad break in life and become targets for human trafficking,” Cashman said by phone earlier in the day.
“They aren’t gifted with the luxuries we take for granted. (Covenant House) gets these kids back on their feet. They’re getting a chance to return to society with a fighting chance to make something of their lives. It’s why I do this. It’s for them.”
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