Are Yankees circling back for Cody Bellinger as his market dissolves?

Are the Yankees reconsidering Cody Bellinger? Who's to say? Regardless, Bellinger's certainly reconsidering the Yankees after his initial ask fell on deaf ears across the league.

After a resurgent season (with some shaky batted ball metrics) in Chicago, Bellinger reportedly requested 10-12 years and $250+ million at the start of the winter. While he did hit free agency at a fairly ideal time, he didn't hit free agency in 1998. Everyone has access to the same available metrics, and everybody knew that would be a premier overpay. As a result, Bellinger's market has failed to develop, despite well-timed Instagram stories of the CN Tower. When the Giants inked a pact with Jung-Hoo Lee on Tuesday night, that appeared to remove one more potential market from the final count.

So ... are the Yankees out out? It's a less-than-ideal fit. It's an even less ideal fit than it was two weeks ago, prior to the additions of Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham.

But the Yankees still don't have a true starting center fielder, lest they want to enthusiastically run Aaron Judge out there six times a week. The Yankees don't have a long-term solution at first base, following the expiration of Anthony Rizzo's and DJ LeMahieu's contracts. The Yankees don't have any interest in paying Cody Bellinger for eight or nine years, but maybe four?

No one knows where the Yankees stand here, but everyone knows that Scott Boras will be placing a phone call to their front office after the Giants filled their outfield and the Blue Jays waffled. What they do with that information is up to them.

Yankees still in play for shorter-term Cody Bellinger contract?

Objectively, the latest information linking the two parties is Jack Curry's report reminding the masses that the Yankees were "never really in" on Bellinger. And they certainly weren't, at the sticker price.

Right now, the Blue Jays are the last remaining bastion that might overpay Bellinger. A Cubs reunion continues to make more sense than anything, especially if ~$100 million has been lopped off his initial demand. But the Yankees often get the last word with Boras clients, and they might be tempted to engage if the Yoshinobu Yamamoto market slides off the rails and into Hollywood.

Mostly, this is a wonder borne out of bizarre stagnation. If nobody wants Bellinger, might the Yankees suddenly decide that a surprising pillow contract is actually well worth it? And, if so, should we crank up the Verdugo trade destinations once again?