The New York Yankees are cooking their Thanksgiving turkey on a red-hot winter stove.
They are allegedly interested in both exceptional left-handed batter Juan Soto and free agent standout Cody Bellinger, but for now, their main focus is on enhancing the outfield.
The Yankees are unlikely to acquire either of these highly costly players, but sources suggest that the front office is pursuing both aggressively and general manager Brian Cashman won’t give up until he finds a lefty bat of the highest caliber to strengthen the lineup.
Is Cody Bellinger Worth The Investment?
Bellinger, 28, had an amazing season with the Chicago Cubs following his comeback. The Yankees should take note of his struggles in 2021 and 2022 if they intend to commit to a long-term contract. This previous season, he hit.307 with a.356 OBP, a.525 slugging percentage, 26 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a 134 wRC+. Although the Yankees would love to have him in the batting order after such a fantastic year reminiscent of his MVP days, one outstanding season out of the previous three definitely suggests a degree of caution.
But in addition to being a fantastic offensive player, Bellinger is also among the game’s top center fielders and has above-average first base ability. During the previous season, he spent 686 innings in the outfield and had a.990 fielding % with four outs above average. In addition, he put in 421.1 innings at first base while saving five runs.
Can the Yankees Sustain a Defensive Liability?
Comparably, Soto is a terrible defensive player, one of the worst in baseball, but is a generational hitter, one that fits the Yankees’ needs perfectly. Not only is Soto 25 years old, but he’s played over 150 games for three consecutive seasons and played all 162 in 2023. He hit .275 with a .410 OBP, including 35 homers and 109 RBIs with a 155 wRC+. He was considered 21% better than Bellinger offensively, but he’s done it on a consistent basis, whereas Bellinger has struggled with his health at times and performance on a year-by-year basis.
Bellinger is expected to get a contract in the range of $200 million while Soto will cost $30 million in his final year of arbitration before landing a monster extension that could reach $400 million. The Yankees certainly won’t be handing out $600 million for the two combined, especially with Giancarlo Stanton still owed $98 million, but their interest in both certainly indicates they may walk away with one or the other this off-season.
