Why Former MVP Should Return to the Yankees

There are many reasons why the New York Yankees want to run it back with this former MVP outfielder. The Yankees are eager to bring back Cody Bellinger for one primary unspoken reason. He was the Yankees' best overall outfield defender in 2025. Cody excels at all three outfield spots and can handle an infield position at an All-Star level, making him their top target.

The defensive regression of the returning Trent Grisham, along with the ailing right elbow of Aaron Judge, makes Cody indispensable. He capably took over for Judge when needed in right field and covered center when Grisham was out. Cody mastered Yankee Stadium’s challenging left field. Bellinger provided the Yankees with irreplaceable defensive stability. 

The Yankees lack anyone who matches Bellinger’s combination of range and ability to make seemingly impossible catches. While Jasson Dominguez has more speed, it gets offset by his poor routes, which impact his effectiveness. Spencer Jones can cover a lot of ground, but his bat remains unproven in the majors. Grisham is slowing down, and Judge is coming off a right elbow flexor strain that has diminished his throwing arm.

Losing Cody Bellinger means the Yankees sacrifice significant defensive coverage and valuable positional depth. Recent deals for Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso have set the market at five years and $150–155 million, or about $30 million per year. Bellinger is actually the more affordable option. Kyle Tucker is ruled out as he projects to make three times more. For a 31-year-old Bellinger, a five-year commitment is the sensible limit.

The Yankees are cautious about overspending with a possible lockout coming in 2026, so bringing back Bellinger at the right price remains possible. If Scott Boras pushes for a deal beyond their budget, they won’t pivot to the even costlier Kyle Tucker. Boras and his clever tweet from Bryan Hoch listing the teams that covet Cody in a poem is a repeat of an old tactic to drum up interest. However, the New York Mets, who just lost Alonso, may look to Bellinger to fill an offensive hole and provide Boras with an opportunity to start a bidding war for his services, and the Yankees' interest will end there. The Yankees could end up with a similar outfield as last year, minus Bellinger. That's subtraction by subtraction.