The New York Yankees have been trying all offseason to re-sign Cody Bellinger to a long-term deal, and with the free agent frenzy of last week, the Yankees’ chances of bringing him back seemingly increased.
But the New York Mets were still fighting for Bellinger. But once the Mets traded for Luis Robert Jr., the odds for the Yankees to land Bellinger surged.
And according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Yankees and Bellinger have finally come to an agreement on a contract, as the superstar outfielder is coming back to the Yankees.
Yankees to re-sign Cody Bellinger
“BREAKING: OF/1B Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources tell ESPN,” Passan reports.
Passan followed this report up with the contract details, which are for $162.5 million over five years with opt-outs after the second and third seasons, along with a $20 million signing bonus. And for Bellingers sake, there’s a full no-trade clause as well.
This is a significant deal for the Yankees. After not spending much at all this offseason, there were many fans worried about the state of the team.
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But this signing is a big one, as it reunites Bellinger with Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham in the outfield and keeps the lineup as it was from a year ago.
While there are still long-term questions, since Bellinger has opt-outs in this deal, and the veteran has had some shaky seasons in recent years, this deal was a must-have for the Yankees.
And after weeks of speculation and worry about other teams swooping in to poach Bellinger from the Yankees, the former MVP is coming back to New York on a reasonable $162.5 million deal over the next five years.
