Let’s look back at the 2025 Yankees season; there were tons of highlights, and one cause of a lot of them was Cody Bellinger. From the diving catch that most players wouldn’t make to the consistent bat that he brings to the plate, he proved that he was a staple of the Yankees roster and should be a key factor again in the 2026 season.

In 2025, Bellinger posted a .272 batting average with 29 home runs, 98 RBI’s, and a .813 OPS.

Is This Smarter Than Overpaying For Kyle Tucker?

In terms of the contract, Bellinger is 30 years old and was given a five-year deal by the Yankees, which includes $32.5 million per season and a $20 million signing bonus for the first season, with opt-outs after his second and third seasons. Cody was originally looking for a seven-year deal with a salary of around $37-$38 million a year. Personally, I think it’s exemplary that the Yankees stood firm on their offer to Cody and didn’t give him something ridiculous like he originally wanted. I think Cody is a fantastic player and great for the Yankees, but he would not have been worth his initial asking price.

When the offseason started, speculation started on whether the Yankees would sign Cody again or go after Kyle Tucker. Well, now that we have that answer, I think they made the right choice. Tucker ended up signing with the Dodgers on a four-year contract worth $240 million, which equals around $60 million a year. Tucker’s 2025 included him posting a .266 batting average, with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and a .841 OPS. Tucker is also 29 years old. Looking at these comparisons, the Yankees easily won this offseason. Tucker is a great player, but in no world is he worth $60 million. In case you were wondering, that’s $20 million more than Aaron Judge. If the Yankees had given this contract to Tucker, it would have angered me. This is a completely stupid contract and proves that the Dodgers just throw money at players to make sure they get them.

Turning A Slow Offseason Into A Win

If the Yankees could make a couple more moves this offseason and have a completely healthy 2026, I think there is a good chance they win the AL East and be the number one hitting team in the MLB, and thus prove the media sites wrong who are projecting they will lose the division to the Blue Jays. In the past couple of days, the Yankees re-signed Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal, which I think is fine. They needed the bat for left-handed pitchers, as Ben Rice has struggled against them, and Goldy is excelled in the past hitting against them.

Personally, I think they could have benefited from signing Bo Bichette and re-signing Luke Weaver; the loss of Devin Williams has nothing but a positive impact on this team. People tend to forget that Williams is single-handedly responsible for multiple losses in the 2025 season; he posted a 4.79 ERA, and while he may have improved toward the end of the season, it did not make up for the awful pitching in the regular season. He proved that he couldn’t handle the pressure of the pinstripes and now moves on to the Mets, where inevitably he will fail again.

What's Next?

Bellinger is most likely using his opt-out after year two or three, and I think that is a good thing for the Yankees, because at this time, Spencer Jones will be brought up to the big leagues, and Bellinger will be toward the end of his career. By the time he hits 32-33, he’ll be like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are today, still beloved ball players, but not quite what they used to be. Unfortunately, age is a huge factor, and Bellinger will probably start feeling these effects within the next few years.