Yankees' making 'second offer' to Cody Bellinger should hardly get fans excited

Just days after making an initial formal offer to Cody Bellinger, the New York Yankees are back at the negotiating table, whipping up a second proposal for the star outfielder. It would seem then as if things are heating up.

After all, Bellinger is a priority for the Yankees, and it would seem that they are confident in their chances to retain the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. But this is Scott Boras we're talking about. Things are progressing, but they are far from over.

The Yankees' second offer to Cody Bellinger doesn't mean the end is in sight

Boras famously likes to drag things out. Sometimes, it works to his benefit, especially if another player sets the market high. That's what he and Bellinger are hoping Kyle Tucker will do for them, though there's a chance that it could backfire and play right into the Yankees' hands.

More than likely, what's happened here is Bellinger rejected Brian Cashman's opener, and the club countered with some small concessions.

Boras will then take that offer and put it up against the rest of the market, giving interested parties like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and others a chance to beat it.

Rinse and repeat. He'll then come back to the Yankees, hoping that they'll be willing to up the ante once more.

All the while, he'll try to wait out the market for all of the pivots to be gone. That includes Tucker, but also the lesser options on the market, trying to leave the Yankees and whoever else remains in the bidding, with no backup plans.

In that desperation, he'll hope that the Yankees (or another contender) get antsy and are willing to overpay. At that point, you can wrap a bow on the proceedings and call it a day.

That's not guaranteed to happen. The Yankees are negotiating from a position of strength. At least, somewhat. While Bellinger is the prize and would make the lineup more potent and likely the defense more solid, New York has two internal options that they can turn to.

It might be easy to write Jasson Dominguez off, but even at the rate he produced last season, he can still fit the bill as a league-average starter if he can fix his defense. Entering his age-23 season, there's also the possibility that he could make a leap towards reaching his full potential and be much more.

Even if he falters, Spencer Jones is waiting in the wings. He would be a boom-or-bust option, but in these negotiations, that doesn't really matter. He exists, and therefore the Yankees will try to play up the fact that they can use him, even if they'd prefer not to.

Boras knows all of this. It's not a secret that Bellinger can provide a degree of certainty that neither Dominguez nor Jones can guarantee, and for a team with an annual championship mandate, that matters.

What we have here is just the very beginning of the game of cat and mouse. Barring something completely unforeseen, don't expect a resolution anytime soon, even if it appears like the negotiations are full steam ahead.