Cody Bellinger's obvious decision becoming official leaves Yankees fans torn

Cody Bellinger's 2025 postseason run was filled with contradictions. In Game 3, he slid to corral a looper, as he'd done 1,000 times before, but instead let it clatter to the turf, igniting a chain of events that led to a four-run frame, as every hinge in the play moved in slow motion. Conversely, in Game 4, he sprinted with ferocity into foul territory in the first inning, providing Yankees righty Cam Schlittler with an early escape hatch by making a far more difficult and rangy sliding play.

The Yankees captured Game 3, following his gaffe, then lost Game 4 after his best efforts. Imagine that.

In Game 3, he sliced a trademark liner to right that should've been caught, but instead ended up under Anthony Santander's dive and rolling. In Game 4, the man who embodied the Yankees' attempts at contact hitting made the final out by flailing at an ill-placed Jeff Hoffman pitch. It all evens out. Contradictions.

This offseason, with an eye on their payroll (as always), they'll attempt to choose between Bellinger and Kyle Tucker. One player will theoretically make 35% of the other player's salary, but the cheaper fellow is represented by Scott Boras, who doesn't subscribe to that theory. One player technically had a contract option that would've allowed him to parlay his stated loyalty to the Yankees into a sweetheart deal, making the financial decision easier, if not the on-field comparison.

As expected, that player declined to play ball on Friday, as Jorge Castillo reported that Bellinger planned to follow logic and reason onto the open market, igniting a head-to-head competition with his high-priced adversary. One (Bellinger) finished 2025 with a walk year to be proud of. The other (Tucker) stumbled through injury and adversity this summer, found himself benched, closed with a thud ... but is still playing in October, homering in Game 4 to help the Cubs send their NL Central showdown back to Milwaukee.

Sentimental Yankee fans - and, let's be honest, those who objectively assessed 2025's best contributors - want Bellinger back. Those fans might have Hal Steinbrenner's finances in mind, either consciously or subconsciously.

Others? They're not so certain, and smell a simple comparison to past "almost, but not quite" winter contradictions.

Will Yankees choose Cody Bellinger over Kyle Tucker? Is either addition a certainty?

Bellinger, past the line of demarcation at the age of 30, may never exceed his 29 homers and 98 RBI, but he'll probably replicate it. He can play multiple positions in a pinch, and despite a career with postseason norms below his regular season baseline, fits perfectly in Yankee Stadium's power alleys. Bringing him back is unlikely to be a disaster.

But Tucker, at his peak, is a different level of player. He was thoroughly raked over the coals throughout his Juan Soto-esque one-year stop in Chicago because he carries with him a $400 million standard. His 4.5 bWAR came in second to Bellinger's, but his 143 OPS+ to Belli's 125 indicates he's far more potent an offensive threat (again, even at his worst, and without Yankee Stadium's walls).

Bellinger's contract should age fine. Tucker's more expensive deal should age like fine wine.

Bellinger remaining a "perfect fit" all depends on what he does in October. One more sour autumn - with an anchor contract instead of an escape hatch - will have Yankees fans looking at others' papers. Or, God forbid, it'll have them losing to the guys they deprioritized, like in 2024 with Freddie Freeman in the other dugout.

Contradictions.

Will the Yankees bring in one of the two outfielders, or will they choose Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez, and new levels of spendthrift?

Odds are, they'll find a financial fit and add another $25+ million annual contract to their books in search of the missing ring.

If they let either deal haunt them, their detractors will be the ones profiting (and, let's face it, are probably secretly rooting for a Tucker albatross). It's incumbent upon the Yankees to do whatever's necessary to be the favorite instead of "in the conversation" moving forward. That's probably signing Tucker, or signing Bellinger plus. And it also might involve piling on additional salary if either deal combusts.

Dead money is, somehow, better than scared money, the most painful contradiction of all.