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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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It was hard to deny that the New York Yankees came out well in their negotiations with free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger.
For weeks, the Yankees and Bellinger appeared to be at a standstill. New York was offering a five-year contract, reportedly worth between $155 million and $160 million, but Bellinger and agent Scott Boras thought he deserved a seven-year contract, which would ensure he was paid until he was the same age as Kyle Schwarber and Alex Bregman at the ends of their newly signed deals.
When Bellinger agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million contract with the Yankees on Wednesday, as first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, it looked as though the Yankees had called the other side's bluff and won big. But the full details of the contract showed that Bellinger could still take home a lot more money in the long haul if he lives up to his play on the field from this past season.
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As reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Bellinger will receive a $20 million signing bonus, and then be paid $32.5 million in base salary over each of the next two seasons, at which point he could exercise the first of two opt-outs the Yankees granted him.
If he does not opt out that first season, he'll make $25.8 million in 2028. He can opt out again at that point, but if he does not, he'll be locked in at $25.8 million again in 2029 and $25.9 million in 2030.
In a nutshell, Bellinger secured himself $85 million over the next two seasons, which is comparable to what Alex Bregman got from the Boston Red Sox last offseason, and what Bo Bichette got from the New York Mets last week. It's a nice up-front sum for a player who has had his fair share of ups and downs, but it also presents him with an opportunity.
If, after the end of the next two seasons, Bellinger believes he can beat a three-year, $77.5 million deal, then he's fully licensed to reenter the open market heading into his age-32 campaign. We saw Bregman, whose biggest offer last year was six years, $171.5 million offer from the Detroit Tigers, take home a total of $215 million between his first year in Boston and his five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs this month.
Bellinger may not have gotten the years he was searching for, but if he keeps playing at a five-WAR pace in the outfield in New York for the next two years, he'll at least prove to the Yankees that they were undervaluing him. That, in turn, could cost the Yankees a couple years of his prime if he walks.
More MLB: Blue Jays Primed for Impact Outfield Trade, per Insider
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