NEW YORK — The Yankees have heard enough. Cody Bellinger and his agent Scott Boras want seven years. They want $36 to $37 million per year. The Yankees think both numbers are unrealistic.
Two months of negotiations have produced nothing but frustration. The team has made at least three offers. None have come close to what Boras is demanding.
Now the front office is pushing back publicly. And they are pointing the finger squarely at Boras for the stalemate.
The Yankees believe Boras has overplayed his hand
Bob Klapisch of NJ.com reported this week that the Yankees view Bellinger’s demands as excessive. The team has offered more than $30 million annually. They have stayed firm at four to five years. The gap remains massive.
“Bellinger is currently holding out for a seven-year deal. The Yankees absolutely refuse to go there,” Klapisch wrote. “I’m told by a person familiar with the situation that Bellinger is also seeking $36 to $37 million per year. The Yankees think that’s crazy, too, although there’s room for negotiation in that regard. It’s the years that threaten to doom negotiations.”
The team expected Boras to drive up the price. That is his job. But the market has not responded the way the agent predicted.
Steinbrenner refuses to get burned again after Soto departure
Owner Hal Steinbrenner has not forgotten what happened with Juan Soto. The Yankees offered $750 million last winter. The Mets came in at $765 million. Soto left for Flushing.
“With agent Scott Boras running point, the market for Bellinger was supposed to overheat,” Klapisch wrote. “Steinbrenner vowed not to overpay. He didn’t want to get burned by Bellinger the way he did by Juan Soto, who left for the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract last offseason. But free agency hasn’t been as generous to Bellinger as the Yankees originally thought. The Yankees suspect Boras may have overplayed his hand.”
The Yankees are not bidding against themselves. If the market has cooled, they expect Bellinger to adjust his expectations.
Ken Rosenthal says Yankees will not budge on seven years
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal weighed in on the standoff during an appearance on Foul Territory. His assessment was blunt. The Yankees are not moving from their position.
“Yesterday, if he got a 30 million dollar AAV, it would be the 4th highest for an outfielder. That’s pretty good, and five years isn’t bad either,” Rosenthal said. “So I’m sure Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, do want a longer contract. And they have every right to seek it. I just don’t know that they’re going to get it, and it certainly sounds like they’re not going to get it from the Yankees.”
A $30 million AAV would rank fourth among outfielders behind only Juan Soto ($51 million), Aaron Judge ($40 million), Mike Trout ($35.5 million) and Mookie Betts ($30.4 million).
Bellinger’s 2025 numbers were strong but not elite
The former NL MVP slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 2025. He played 152 games and posted an .813 OPS. Those are solid numbers for any outfielder.
But they are not Juan Soto numbers. Bellinger’s career has included three brutal seasons from 2020 to 2022. He hit just .203 during that stretch with the Dodgers. The Cubs traded him to the Yankees last winter in what amounted to a salary dump.
A seven-year deal would take Bellinger through his age-36 season. The Yankees believe that commitment is excessive for a player whose career falls short of elite status.
The labor situation may be cooling free agent spending
A lockout looms after the 2026 season. Salary cap discussions are on the table. Teams are hesitant to commit to long-term deals with so much uncertainty ahead.
Pete Alonso signed for five years and $155 million with the Orioles. Kyle Schwarber got five years and $150 million to stay in Philadelphia. Neither player received the seven-year commitment that Bellinger is seeking.
The market has not supported Boras’ asking price. Multiple teams have checked in on Bellinger. None have matched his demands.
Other Boras clients have signed quickly this winter
Not every Boras client is holding out. Alonso and Dylan Cease both moved quickly. They accepted deals that fell short of initial projections. Their decisions suggest the market is not as robust as agents expected.
Bellinger appears to be taking a different approach. He is waiting for Kyle Tucker to sign first. Tucker is the top outfielder on the market. His contract could set the ceiling for Bellinger’s deal.
But Tucker’s market has also been slower than expected. No team has come forward with the massive offer his camp anticipated.
The Yankees have internal options if Bellinger walks
Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones are waiting in the wings. Both are young outfielders with upside. Jones is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026.
The team has also shown interest in Bo Bichette. The free agent shortstop could fill a different need if the Bellinger talks collapse.
Spring training is roughly five weeks away. The clock is ticking. Someone needs to blink.
Boras has drawn the ire of fans and executives alike
Former Marlins president David Samson blasted Boras on his podcast Nothing Personal. His criticism was scathing.
“You have to know that Boras is ridiculous. He’s unreasonable. He doesn’t make sense. He’s actually an industry joke,” Samson said. “Scott Boras is out there somewhere asking for an insane amount of money and getting bailed out by older owners or newer owners, or anyone who somehow is subject to his spell.”
Yankees fans have grown impatient as well. Many believe the $30 million AAV offer is fair. They want the team to walk away if Boras refuses to negotiate.
The standoff continues. The Yankees have made their position clear. Now Boras and Bellinger must decide whether to meet them halfway or risk losing the best offer on the table.
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