Dodgers exec's latest cryptic quote hints they'll steal Cody Bellinger from Yankees

The New York Yankees are the December Favorite for Cody Bellinger in a market that won't move. Still, if one splurge contract offer hits, it seems doubtful the Yankees will rise to the top of his market. They're both involved and skittish. The line may not be formally drawn in the sand, but they're definitely afraid to walk any closer to the tide.

Needless to say, the latest whiffs coming out of the Dodgers' camp aren't fantastic for the Yankees' hopes.

The Dodgers - they broke baseball, you may have heard of them - don't seem particularly inclined to overpay for an outfielder this year, either. They do have a clear vacancy in left, though, and as long as Bellinger and Kyle Tucker remain on the market, some type of short-term, high-dollar offer can't be ruled out. The latest rumors out of the Winter Meetings indicated that Scott Boras was hoping to hold Bellinger's free agency past the point of Tucker's signing, thus pitting a bunch of slightly-more-desperate teams against one another.

And so, when Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman spoke after the Edwin Diaz signing about LA's next steps, it was hard not to feel like he was hinting at a Bellinger pursuit that he'd have to "be a little bit patient" about in the coming weeks.

Dodgers are working on adding a versatile position player who's good on both sides of the ball...sounds like the Yankees' Cody Bellinger

A position player ... good on both sides of the ball ... something that's "lining up" for LA ... yeah, Bellinger would be the clubhouse favorite there for a reunion.

A Tarik Skubal trade has been the rumored Dodgers move that has terrified the largest number of people across the country in recent days, but while they may have touched base, a position player addition certainly sounds more imminent. There's a chance it's a trade; we know the Dodgers had interest in Cleveland's Steven Kwan at the deadline, and trade candidates Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox would also satisfy these smarmy requirements.

Still, Bellinger has to be in play. There's a chance Arte Moreno and the Angels are prepared to break the bank for him (how appealing will that be?), but otherwise, most of Bellinger's offers seem similarly capped. The Yankees love him ... to a certain financial extent. The Mets are in play, but refused to match Diaz's money or even make an offer to franchise icon Pete Alonso (in fairness, it doesn't appear David Stearns even liked him, let alone liked him liked him). The Dodgers have their parameters, but they also have familiarity and back-to-back golden rings.

If a versatile defensive outfielder with offensive potency is the Dodgers' "patient" next move, the Yankees should be very afraid.