MLB rumors: Extended Cody Bellinger free agency hints at burgeoning market

As the 2025-26 MLB free agency market slowly dries up, one big fish remains firmly in the pond in the form of Cody Bellinger, the 2025 New York Yankees outfielder who is looking for a new, nine-figure deal.

Why, some have wondered, hasn’t a team swooped in to secure the two-way outfielder on a new, long-term contract? Well, in an appearance on Foul Territory, MLB on Fox’s Ken Rosenthal was asked that very question and let it be known that while he believes the two-time All-Star will land a new contract in the next week or so, it might not be as simple as just taking the deal offered his way by his most recent team.

“I would expect it’s going to happen within a week. We’re getting closer to spring training now, and I would imagine not only does Bellinger want resolution, but the teams involved want resolution as well,” Rosenthal noted. “Now, the question with a guy like Bellinger who lingers on the market is always, well, what’s the rest of the market? Who is in there besides the Yankees? And we know the Yankees offer pretty much five years, $160, two opt-outs, a big signing bonus, all these elements to it, no deferrals. It’s seemingly a good offer, but could the Mets jump in? They still need a guy like Bellinger. In fact, I’ve always thought Bellinger was a better fit for them than Tucker simply because of his defensive ability and versatility.

“So the Mets certainly, after not getting Tucker, could be in the market for that kind of player. And the Blue Jays were the other big bidder for Tucker, 10 years, $350 million, as first reported by John Heyman. So why wouldn’t with two outfielders coming off the books at the end of this season, Varsho and Springer, be involved in Bellinger as well? These are fair questions. And I always caution people on my show and on this show when I write that we don’t know the full extent of what’s going on. And I’m not trying to say there are mystery teams or anything like that, but usually there is more than one team in a market. And if there wasn’t in this case, if Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boris, weren’t trying to work things, then it would just take the Yankees deal, I would assume. But apparently, they believe there might be something else out there And who knows what that might be.”

On paper, it’s hard to argue with Rosenthal’s point. If the market isn’ particular expansive, why wouldn’t Bellinger simply take the deal from the Yankees and move forward as a millionaire multiple hundred times over? Could it be because he wants another party to emerge in order to raise his price in a bidding war? Or because there is already a bidding war behind the scenes with no clear winner just yet? Hopefully, Rosenthal is correct, and fans will find out in the not-too-distant future.

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