Yankees grow interest on free agent

The New York Yankees are said to have interest in free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, but a new report indicates they may have one issue with the former MVP.

After agreeing to a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs during the summer, Bellinger had a spectacular comeback season. He batted .307 with 29 doubles, 26 home runs and a .881 OPS while finishing 10th in NL MVP voting and winning a Silver Slugger award.

But according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, some with the Yankees are concerned with Bellinger’s hard-hit rate.

The Yankees may believe that part of Bellinger’s high batting average was luck-related if they are worried about his hard-hit rate. Hard impacts on the ball are typically a reliable indicator of a player’s ability to produce hits.

Early in his career, Bellinger got off to a fantastic start. With the Dodgers, he was named NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and earned NL MVP two years later. That season, he hit 47 home runs with a 1.035 OPS, won a Gold Glove, and more. But during the next three years, Bellinger’s batting average absolutely collapsed. In 2020, Bellinger batted.239; in 2021,.165; and in 2022,.210.