Insider predicts Cody Bellinger will go to Yankees' rival for ungodly sum of money

If I were in the Yankees' front office and I had some inkling that this was how high Cody Bellinger's next contract might climb, then ... yeah, I'd have some "concerns" too.

As it stands, the Yankees are firmly in conversations with Bellinger's people (read: Scott Boras and his henchmen), as are (it stands to reason) the Giants and his former team, the Cubs. Chicago and San Francisco have their fingers on the Shohei Ohtani pulse. The Yankees ... do not. That means New York is less preoccupied with the belle of the Winter Meetings ball, but still might not be willing to go the extra mile to sign a lefty slugger who timed his free agency perfectly.

Yes, shaky batted ball metrics and all, Bellinger will cash in this offseason regardless of what you think of him. There's a good chance that initial asks begin with a "2," and won't drop into the high $100 millions until long after Ohtani has emerged from the shadows to choose his destination. But Mike Axisa's blurb on CBS' projections took any Bellinger projections to the next level this week.

Axisa has the Blue Jays inking the slugger, but having to extend themselves to 10 years and $245 million to get it done. That would lower the AAV (a classic Yankees trick) and would presumably take Toronto out of the Ohtani running (they're also rumored to be somewhat involved). It would be hard to get too upset if the Yankees passed at that exorbitant price.

Cody Bellinger Projected Contract is HOW much?!

Two of CBS' other experts projected Bellinger would land in the Bronx on slightly more palatable deals (6/$180 million, 7/$200 million), where he'd fill an outfield gap for now and eventually relieve Anthony Rizzo at first base. Following in Clay's (dynastic?) footsteps would make for a strong storyline. Bellinger might not be as good and consistent a player as he was in 2023, but the flip side is also false; his metrics don't mean that he's god awful and valueless.

Still, if the conversation is flying this high, let it carry him north of the border. Ideally, Jon Heyman's dream vision for the Yankees offseason comes true, but with Yamamoto and Soto as their "two out of three" and Bellinger playing the role of the one left behind.

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