Jim Bowden just unequivocally jinxed Yankees in Cody Bellinger pursuit

The New York Yankees are continuing to up the ante in their pursuit of Cody Bellinger without giving way on one key principle. New York is willing to meet his AAV demands while throwing in goodies like a signing bonus, no deferred money, and an opt-out. They are still unwavering in their stance that they will not go beyond five years, however.

And that is the sticking point. Above all else, it seems that getting seven years is the most important part of the equation for the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year.

That position has led former MLB general manager Jim Bowden to call Bellinger out, stating that the demand for a seventh year is "ridiculous" and pointing to how the market has played out for veteran hitters this winter as his justification as to why.

Ex-MLB general manager Jim Bowden's proclamation that Cody Bellinger's demand for seven years is "ridiculous" all but ensures that the Yankees will cave

Bowden doesn't have the best track record when it comes to reading the market. There's a reason why he's a former MLB GM, after all. As an analyst, much of the time, what he predicts doesn't come to fruition.

One can look to his take on the Yankees' Bo Bichette overtures versus what the guys on the Yankees beat took away from the dalliance as a prime example. Bowden claimed the Yankees were a serious threat to nab Bichette, while others closer to the team reported the engagement was not much more than the club doing its due diligence. So far, the Yankees have fallen more and more into the periphery in that chase.

At the outset of the offseason, Bowden predicted that Bellinger would land a six-year, $168 million deal. If he believed the star outfielder was worthy of six years just a few weeks back, is one more really that much of a stretch?

Of course, Bowden is right about one thing. There hasn't been a contract longer than five years given out to a hitter this offseason. The former Washington Nationals general manager points out that Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, and Alex Bregman all have more consistent track records than Bellinger. That's true to a degree, though there have been blips on the radar for all three of those players as well.

Something missing from that conversation is the fact that Alonso and Bregman were on the market last offseason, and if you count the previous contracts that they opted out of, they've essentially landed six-year deals.

Another factor is age. Schwarber is entering his age-33 season, while Bregman is going into his age-32 campaign, and Alonso is nearly a year older than Bellinger. That youth plays to Bellinger's advantage.

Furthermore, there are Bellinger's defensive contributions to consider. Alonso is a poor fielding first baseman, and Schwarber is a DH-only player. That leaves Bregman, a two-way star rivaling Bellinger's prowess on both sides of the ball and a guy with a similar offensive profile to Bellinger. If Bregman essentially managed six years between his deal with the Red Sox and his new contract with the Cubs and is nearly two years older than Bellinger, why can't the former Los Angeles Dodger get an extra year?

This isn't to say that the Yankees would be wise to sign Bellinger for seven. Most free-agent deals are agreed to with the idea that the last year or two will be underwater. Extending that out further gets you into DJ LeMahieu territory. But that doesn't mean there isn't a case to be made by Bellinger's camp for the sixth and seventh years. Now, given Bowden's track record with predictions, you can virtually be assured that the Yankees will cave to those arguments.