On Jan. 21, ESPN reported, citing sources, that the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger agreed on a five-year, $162.5 million contract that would see the outfielder return to the Bronx long-term.
Moreover, the reporting also revealed that the contract includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, a $20 million signing bonus, and a full no-trade clause. Nonetheless, for now, the Yankees have Bellinger back and can pencil him into their starting lineup.
On Jan. 28, Bellinger spoke with the media and explained his return to the Yankees after testing the free-agent market this offseason and being linked to other teams in the process.
“I felt right at home last year,” Bellinger said (h/t SNY). “The guys do a great job of building a good culture in that locker room. It’s a very good culture. It’s a winning culture. We all show up to win the game that day. I was just excited to be a part of it.
“For me, I understand the talent that I have on the field. I understand the many different things that I can do on a baseball field, and I enjoy doing that type of stuff. I think I can win a baseball game in a lot of many different ways. That’s what I strive to do. I feel like I do a good job of that. I expect to do a good job of that in the future.”
Yankees Receive Praise for Keeping Cody Bellinger
After rumors linking Bellinger to the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays, it’s the Yankees that keep their player, who hit .272 with 160 hits, 29 homers, 98 RBIs, and 89 runs scored in 152 games last season, per StatMuse.
With Bellinger back in the fold, SNY analyst and former MLB general manager Jim Duquette shared his thoughts on the Yankees holding onto their player.
“The Yankees’ pursuit of Cody Bellinger ends up with him signing back with them on a five-year deal,” Duquette said in a video published by SNY on Jan. 21. “Brian Cashman gets their guy. The Yankees and Cashman talked about him as their priority from Day 1, all the way back to the general manager’s meetings, even when he decided to become a free agent. Bellinger was the guy.
“If you look at what he did for New York, his .909 OPS at Yankee Stadium in particular, what he did in terms of protecting Aaron Judge in that lineup, his versatility and athleticism to play multiple positions, not just left field, but center field, right field, first base, a left-handed bat in that lineup. He gives them balance in the lineup as well.”
Cody Bellinger Fits in the Bronx
Moreover, Duquette believes the Yankees were always the right fit for Bellinger, even though there were other rumors linking him to other teams.
“There really [weren’t] many other places that I thought were a good fit for him,” Duquette added. “The Mets toyed around with it. They weren’t willing to go long-term for him, at least [for] five years, which is where the Yankees end up going. But they got their guy. This is an important step for them. Their main priority this winter [was] Cody Bellinger, [and now he’s] going back to the Yankees.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cody Bellinger Issues Strong Reason for Yankees Return appeared first on Heavy Sports.