Ranking the Yankees' competing potential suitors for Cody Bellinger as talks stall

It's always felt like the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger were two star-crossed lovers in a bad romantic comedy. There's the honeymoon phase, which in this case was the 2025 season, when Bellinger's two-way prowess was extremely valuable to New York. There's the pursuit, featuringthe Yankees making two offers for his services. Now, we've reached the trials and tribulations, the current conflict that the two sides find themselves in. Can they overcome their differences and reunite for a happily-ever-after ending?

Despite the sticking points, the two sides coming together seems to be the most likely outcome, but it's far from over. Significant hurdles still exist, and rivals lurk, with a big three of the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants being name-dropped by Jon Heyman, while other potential alternatives exist in the background as well.

To make sense of it all, we're breaking down the likelihood each possible competitor has of landing the 2019 NL MVP, and ranking them from most to least likely to steal the apple of the Yankees' eye away.

Ranking the Yankees' competition for Cody Bellinger from most to least likely

1. The New York Mets

Right now, the Mets' outfield consists of Juan Soto and a bunch of question marks. Tyrone Taylor and his 70 wRC+ in 2025 is the likely starter in center field, and in left, you could see the arrival of top prospect Carson Benge. Benge is exciting, but he reached Triple-A for the first time last season, and in 24 games, slashed .178/.272/.311. In short, he could use more seasoning.

The Mets have been heavily linked to Bellinger for a long time, and while they, like the Yankees, have mostly shied away from long-term commitments this offseason, Bellinger could be an exception given how great their need is. Throw in the fact that under David Stearns' leadership, they've become obsessed with former Yankee players, ranging from stars like Soto to dumpster diving for the fringiest of roster options, and you have them as the most likely non-Yankees landing spot.

2. The Los Angeles Dodgers

There's the awkward elephant in the room that the Dodgers non-tendered Bellinger back in 2022, but that doesn't mean that Los Angeles doesn't have interest in this revamped version of the player who won Rookie of the Year and MVP trophies with them.

LA is also involved on Kyle Tucker, but seems to prefer short-term, high-AAV deals with either option. Given Bellinger's desire for long-term security (and past failures to achieve such a goal), the Dodgers have to get knocked down a peg. However, Los Angeles basically prints money, so at any point in time, they could decide to blow the market away and land whoever they want.

3. The San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are often included in the list of prime Bellinger suitors, and they do have an outfield need. Luis Matos could be in line as the starting right fielder, and to date in his career, he's subtracted 1.4 fWAR over 178 games.

The issue San Francisco faces is the sheer number of long-term deals they have on the books, with Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee all carrying significant salaries through 2030 or beyond, and other, shorter-term big-money deals on the books. It's just hard to see how they justify a long-term deal for Bellinger given their other commitments.

4. The Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the most active teams in pursuit of Kyle Tucker, and as a result, there has been little linking them to Bellinger. Still, if they lose out on Tucker (and Bichette) there's a chance they could pivot and steal from one of their chief rivals. Toronto has shown no reservations about throwing money around, so if they decide that they need to pursue Bellinger, all bets are off.

5. The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have ironically been connected to Bellinger, a player they were desperate to dump just a year ago. That was before signing Alex Bregman, though. Tom Ricketts hasn't shown the desire to spend extravagantly beyond a splash here or there, but they do have a Kyle Tucker-sized hole in the outfield and just traded away top prospect Owen Caissie, who was their best internal Tucker replacement, in the Edward Cabrera deal.

6. The Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels aren't the most likely Bellinger suitor, but they have a desperate need in center field, and Bellinger is the only premium option on the free-agent market who can solve that issue. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand stated that they were in the mix on January 1, with the idea being that they could use some of their Anthony Rendon savings on Bellinger.

Since then, they've become one of nine teams embroiled in a TV rights dispute with FanDuel Sports Network, which could limit their spending power.

Arte Moreno is always a wild card, and the idea of sticking it to the Dodgers could motivate him. At the same time, he can be one of the stingiest owners in baseball. There's also Bellinger's preference to consider. Every other team on this list is a contender, while the Angels are a dysfunctional mess mired in mediocrity. The only way this happens is if they meet his seven-year asking price and no one else comes close.