Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, seem to have a very specific number in mind when it comes to his next contract — and they don’t seem too enthused about moving off of that figure.
In hopes of retaining the veteran outfielder, the New York Yankees have sent a pair of offers to Bellinger and Boras, the latest coming in at a reported five years with a price tag between $155 million and $160 million. That’s more than $30 million per year for a 30-year-old who hit 29 home runs with 98 RBI and an .813 OPS during his lone season with the Bronx Bombers.
Bellinger and Boras are looking for “at least” a seven-year deal, as reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on Monday.
Such a number will have almost any interested party balking. While Bellinger is a versatile, power-hitting talent, his production has been inconsistent in recent years, and his asking price exceeds the current market value. Former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who is also 30 and had a significantly better offensive season (though Bellinger clears him consideraby in most defensive metrics), signed a five-year, $155 million deal to join the Baltimore Orioles during the Winter Meetings.
The 32-year-old Kyle Schwarber, who led the National League with 56 home runs but appeared in 154 games as a designated hitter, got five years and $150 million to rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies.
Does Bellinger’s defense warrant two extra years and a deal that could flirt with $200 million? Before joining the Yankees, his 162-game averages over the previous five seasons included a slash line of .244/.306/.425 (.731 OPS) with 24 home runs and 90 RBI. His OPS+ of 100 indicates that he was the benchmark for an average ballplayer during that stretch.
He had an OPS+ of 125 last season with the Yankees.
This could just be Bellinger and Boras playing hardball and seeing if they can squeeze anything more out of what projects to be his final big-time payday. A number of other teams would likely give him the same kind of money that the Yankees offered, including the Mets.
