Yankees’ latest Cody Bellinger offer shows they've hit a Scott Boras breaking point

Cody Bellinger is a great baseball player. He's a great personality. He's undoubtedly somebody you'd love to have on your team. But the current negotiations with the New York Yankees have reached absurd heights that almost no team would sign up for.

According to the latest rumors, Bellinger and agent Scott Boras are seeking a $37 million AAV over seven years. No disrespect to Bellinger, but that is essentially Aaron Judge money, and that is not happening under any circumstance. Even a team desperately in need of an influx of talent would not make that investment.

There are two theories as to why this has gotten out of hand. One of that Boras is trying to play alongside Kyle Tucker's market, which is the closest comp to Belli. It's also possible that Boras is over-bidding to land closer to his desired number. Both valid.

But what is Tucker's market? The pixie dust $400 million offer that was determined last offseason (but hasn't even come close to materializing as his market shrinks) doesn't seem to be rooted in reality. And as for the "over-bidding" approach? It is January 9. If Bellinger had a suitor for seven years OR $37 million AAV, we wouldn't be playing a two-plus-month game of chicken.

The reality is this: there is a limited market for both Tucker and Bellinger because of the amount of money they command, and it's an awful lot like the Manny Machado/Bryce Harper free agency where teams were content waiting things out while the players demanded more and more.

How much longer do Yankees really have to wait for a Cody Bellinger decision?

Don't get us wrong: fans should be pro-player. They are the working class. The teams are just investment firms that collect money, print revenue and build wealth. But there comes a point where it's not just cheap owners who are at fault — it can sometimes be the greed on the player's side, like the obsession with "setting the market" or eclipsing a previous record or rejecting a long-term deal because the AAV was a few million short of what was desired. It's not like teams are coming out and saying "Hey Cody, how does two years and $32 million sound?".

At this point, it's obvious the Yankees have reached a breaking point with Scott Boras, and their latest leaked offer suggests just that. Typically, fans criticize the Yankees for their free agency approach during which the front office is largely passive, but this time it's hard to blame them if this is how Boras is conducting business.

Bellinger's career is not one of an elite star capable of dictating where the market moves. He is not a generational bat like Juan Soto. He is not an elite contact hittier. He is not an elite power hitter (at least not anymore). He is not an elite base stealer. He is not without a number of underwhelming seasons on his ledger (2021, 2022, 2024). He is an elite defender, but that doesn't get you a monster contract, as we just saw with Juan Soto last offseason. Bellinger is squarely a very good baseball player. He has an .817 OPS and 120 OPS+ for his career. That does not guarantee you Aaron Judge money, or frankly anything close to it.

Bellinger is entering his age-30 season, meaning a seven-year contract will take him through his age-36 campaign. It wouldn't be the worst agreement in the world, but there simply just isn't a market for it right now, unless Steve Cohen wants to come in and budge to Boras' demands.

But at this point, it's clear the Yankees have sent their clearest message yet about drawing a line in the sand. Boras can take it or leave it — and if he wants to try his luck, he could end up costing his client millions.