Cody

Bellinger

The Yankees, too, of course. The Kyle Schwarber re-signing might take the Phillies out of the mix, but Bellinger has a wide range of suitors, regardless, and figures to command at least a five-year deal at age 30.

Tucker lives near Tampa and recently visited the Jays’ facility in Dunedin, so one would think the Yankees might want to arrange something similar. Still, Bellinger might be more of a priority at this point. Cashman is hoping to re-sign Bellinger to play left field, even though he admits his offense is a little too left-handed at the moment.

Heyman adds that Bellinger remains New York’s top offseason priority, though the two sides aren’t close to a deal at this stage. He also lists the Mets, Phillies, Dodgers and Angels as other potential landing spots. The 30-year-old delivered an excellent first season in the Bronx, slashing .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers — his highest total since 2019 — to go along with 98 RBI and 13 steals across 152 games. His return would significantly improve the Yankees’ outfield defense and give them a proven left-handed, middle-of-the-order anchor to pair with Aaron Judge.

Morosi indicated that all of the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers are “actively courting” Bellinger. The 30-year-old is coming off a strong 2025 season that saw him his .272 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, 89 runs, and an .813 OPS. He also plays above-average defense at both center field and first base, which makes him even more attractive as a target.

Boras added that he doesn’t think the Yankees’ interest in a reunion would change if Trent Grisham accepts the qualifying offers. Bellinger figures to aim for at least a five-year contract this winter, and he’s expected to draw interest from the Mets and others.

Bellinger gets a $5 million buyout, which only added to how easy of a call this was after his strong 2025 season. Under the terms of the deal he signed with the Cubs, Bellinger ended up making $60 million the last two years, and now he’ll reach free agency for a third time at age 30. One imagines he’d like to find a long-term home at this point.

The Yankees weren’t able to do anything against Blue Jays’ starter Trey Yesavage, who hurled 5 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball. As soon as he exited though, Aaron Judge got the club’s first knock and Bellinger followed with a 370-foot two-run blast off of Justin Bruihl, but all that did was pull the Bombers to within 10 runs at 12-2. Bellinger also added a sacrifice fly in the seventh, finishing his day 1-for-4 with three RBI and a pair of strikeouts. The Yankees will certainly have their work cut out for them heading back to New York down 2-0 and looking to stave off elimination.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone will not make any changes with New York facing Blue Jays rookie sensation Trey Yesavage following a lopsided series-opening defeat earlier this weekend. Here’s the full lineup: Trent Grisham (CF), Judge (RF), Cody Bellinger (LF), Ben Rice (1B), Giancarlo Stanton (DH), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B), Ryan McMahon (3B), Anthony Volpe (SS) and Austin Wells (C).

The Yankees’ best scoring chance came as they loaded the bases with nobody out in a 2-0 game in the sixth inning. After Aaron Judge struck out, Bellinger worked Kevin Gausman for a four-pitch walk to trim their deficit to just one run with the bases still loaded — but that would be all they would end up getting. Bellinger finished the afternoon 0-for-3. The Yankees will look to bounce back and even up the series at a game apiece when they battle rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage in Game 2 on Sunday.

Bellinger is good to go after suffering a bruised heel during Thursday’s series-clinching victory over the Red Sox on a slide into home plate. The presence of Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman gives New York the clearance to roll with a lefty-heavy lineup that also includes Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in addition to Ryan McMahon.