With the Winter Meetings fast approaching, both Juan Soto and Cody Bellinger have often been connected to the Yankees. It apparently is not completely out of the realm of possibility they could land both.
That, of course, would cost a lot both in terms of money and prospect capital. Soto is under team control for one more season with the Padres and likely to get north of $30 million in his final year of arbitration. As a Scott Boras client he all but certainly isn’t going to sign an extension, adding huge risk to making a deal for him.
Bellinger is one of the top free agent position players on the market following an impressive season with the Cubs. He signed in Chicago on a prove it deal after two bad years with the Dodgers, but the rebound with the Cubs coupled with the fact he is a former MVP winner makes him a big target.
Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman indicated Wednesday on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh that New York might not view Bellinger and Soto as an either/or situation.
“I’ve been led to believe the Yankees could conceivably do both Soto and Bellinger,” Heyman said. “They seem to be focused on Soto right now. We all figure Bellinger is going to take a while, he’s a free agent, he’s a top free agent out there on a positional basis. … He may take a while, Soto there seems to be some urgency. Talks are going on, they have exchanged names.
“I personally think Soto is just a one-year thing, he’s not going to sign an extension with a team unless you give him way above the $440 million he’s already turned down with Washington. I don’t see an extension forthcoming anywhere, so we're just talking about a one-year deal. But I personally would prefer Bellinger for any of the teams, and the Yankees, for me, he fits.”
The Yankees badly need outfielders, but there’s risk in both players. For one, New York reportedly is concerned with Bellinger’s hard hit rate, and the Yankees already have a ton of big, and in some cases bad, contracts on the books. Cashman’s recent track record with trades also hasn’t been great, so it’s fair to have trepidation about him orchestrating a blockbuster for someone knocking on the door to free agency.
That said, the Yankees clearly need to make a splash after stumbling in 2023. Landing both Bellinger and Soto would certainly accomplish that.