What Scott Boras wants to happen to make Yankees miserable in Cody Bellinger chase

Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker have been linked all offseason. Nearly every team that has been rumored to be interested in one is thought to have kicked the tires on the other. Some have their preferences, of course, like how the New York Yankees have prioritized Bellinger, but the song remains the same. For the most part.

Bellinger and the Yankees have been volleying offers back and forth, but despite a proposal in excess of $30 million AAV, the two sides aren't close to a deal, with the star outfielder reportedly digging his heels in on his demand for a seven-year-plus contract.

There's also some belief that Bellinger will wait for Tucker to land before signing a deal, in hopes that the long-time Yankees nemesis from his time with the Houston Astros will set the market high and increase Bellinger's leverage. That's a gamble, though, because if Tucker fails to produce the long-term megadeal he seeks, it could force Bellinger to settle for less.

There's a wrench that can be thrown into this scenario, however, and it would be Scott Boras's dream as well as a Yankees' nightmare. It all comes down to the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been the most aggressive in Tucker's market, but have shown next to no interest in Bellinger.

Kyle Tucker signing with Blue Jays would create a headache for Yankees (and would be a dream for Cody Bellinger and Scott Boras)

Aside from the idea that Tucker being forced to settle for less would strengthen the Yankees' hand when it comes to retaining their own free-agent star, the possibility that he takes another Bellinger suitor out of the race could take some wind out of the 2019 NL MVP's sails.

However, if Toronto is Tucker's destination, it makes the Yankees' lives miserable for two reasons. First, it would be an epic capstone to what has already been an aggressive tour de force offseason by the Yankees' Canadian rivals.

But more importantly, in the context of Bellinger, it doesn't remove a suitor from the action. The Blue Jays were in on Tucker early and are increasing their focus on him now with Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, Cody Ponce, and Kazuma Okamoto already in the bag. That's an impressive free-agent haul, and adding Tucker to it makes them ferocious. It also does nothing to diminish Bellinger's market.

The same big-market clubs will still be chasing Bellinger. The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have both been linked to Bellinger throughout the winter, while both clubs have also reportedly shown more interest in Tucker than the Yankees have to date.

Removing Tucker as an option for them will only increase their desperation to sign Bellinger. The Yankees have already set the salary bar high with the $30 million per year offer, and desperation could be enough to convince one of those two clubs to panic and give in to Bellinger on the length of the contract.

Boras would be licking his lips if that came to pass. Likely, if he got the years he wants, he'd come back to the Yankees to see if they'd match. As good as Bellinger is, there are some questions about his game, and after scars like signing DJ LeMahieu for a few years too long, and in the more distant past Jacoby Ellsbury's seven-year, $153 million deal going down as one of the biggest albatrosses in franchise history, it would be easy to see them have some pause.

If things play out this way, the Yankees would be stuck between a rock and a hard place. They could either lose Bellinger and have no other high-end option to turn to and fill the void, or they could face their fears and hand out a contract that they know won't age well. Either way, it would be a bad outcome.