{"id":109344,"date":"2025-11-11T00:51:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T05:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=109344"},"modified":"2025-11-11T00:51:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T05:51:02","slug":"cody-bellinger-free-agent-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/11\/11\/cody-bellinger-free-agent-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Slugging Yankees Outfielder to Draw Plenty of Interest in Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outfielder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bellico01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-11-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cody Bellinger<\/a> is officially a free agent. Bellinger\u2019s free agency comes after a resurgent season with the New York Yankees, ending with a subpar postseason and an American League Division Series exit.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Cody Bellinger: 2025 MLB Free Agent Profile<\/h2>\n<h3><b>Belli&#8217;s Career<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bellinger debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and earned NL Rookie of the Year honors after slashing .267\/.521\/.933. Bellinger was delivering for the Dodgers in 2018 and 2019. He improved from his rookie season and proved to be a force in the Dodgers&#8217; lineup. Unfortunately, the success would not last.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bellinger\u2019s Dodgers tenure took a downward spiral beginning in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. It got so bad in LA that after the 2022 season, the Dodgers decided to non-tender Bellinger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December of 2022, Bellinger signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger had a resurgent season with the Cubs in 2023, before he hit the free agent market once again. He became one of the \u201cBoras Five\u201d, players who remained unsigned going into spring training of 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs in late February 2024, on a three-year contract with player opt-outs after each season. In a season riddled with injuries, Bellinger\u2019s play declined once again. The Wrigley winds over the past two seasons have affected the way lefty pull hitters have played in Chicago. Bellinger was no different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In December of 2024, the Cubs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/12\/17\/cubs-trade-cody-bellinger-to-yankees\/\" target=\"_self\">traded Bellinger<\/a>, who opted into his contract for 2025, to the Yankees.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2025 Season<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bellinger had a really productive season for the Yankees. He was the Yankees&#8217; best bat behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/judgeaa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-11-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Judge<\/a> in the lineup and always came through when a big hit was needed. With 29 home runs and 98 RBI, Bellinger hit over .300 with runners in scoring position, second behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bichebo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-11-11_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bo Bichette<\/a> for the best in the AL.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Cody Bellinger in 2025:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd39 .272\/.330\/.468<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd39 122 wRC+<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd39 13 HR<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd39 9 SB<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd39 3 DRS, 4 OAA<br \/>\n\ud83d\udd39 2.5 fWAR<\/p>\n<p>A well above average bat with Gold Glove caliber defense. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L9xRsXQDUY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/L9xRsXQDUY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 YankeesMuse (@YankeesMuse) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YankeesMuse\/status\/1942258774632480928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was more than just his offense that made a difference for the Yankees this season. Bellinger made multiple game-saving plays on defense, part of the reason they had a shot at the division in September. From shoestring catches to diving plays, Bellinger seemed to always be in the right place at the right time to save the Yankees.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">WHAT A PLAY FROM CODY BELLINGER!<\/p>\n<p>Bellinger makes the shoestring grab and doubles Francisco Lindor at first! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GqgQFOITWU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GqgQFOITWU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/snyyankees\/status\/1941952223723896946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0One thing teams could look at as an issue with Bellinger was his 2025 home and road splits and how well he hit at Yankee Stadium. In the Bronx, Bellinger posted a .302 batting average, a .365 on-base percentage, a.544 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .909. Meanwhile, on the road, Bellinger posted a .241 batting average, a .301 on-base percentage, a .414 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .715. Numbers like that could affect his market this offseason.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Contract Outlook<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bellinger is entering free agency after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/10\/17\/high-profile-scott-boras-opt-outs-loom-mlb-free-agency\/\" target=\"_self\">declining his player option<\/a> for 2026. He has positioned himself as one of the top bats on the market. Bellinger is expected to command a lucrative, multi-year contract. Analysts project offers in the range of three to six years at an average annual value of $25 to $30 million. His rare combination of power, contact ability, and positional versatility enhances his appeal, making him one of the most well-rounded and sought-after free agents available this offseason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several teams are expected to pursue Bellinger aggressively. The Yankees are considered the favorites to bring him back after a strong fit in their 2025 lineup. They&#8217;ll face competition from the cross-town New York Mets, who are seeking an impact bat. The Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Detroit Tigers are also candidates to land the slugger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outfielder Cody Bellinger is officially a free agent. Bellinger\u2019s free agency comes after a resurgent season with the New York Yankees, ending with a subpar postseason and an American League Division Series exit. Cody Bellinger: 2025 MLB Free Agent Profile Belli&#8217;s Career Bellinger debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and earned NL Rookie [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5663,"featured_media":105618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1071,5,35],"tags":[501,1608,899],"class_list":["post-109344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","category-yankees","category-news","tag-aaron-judge","tag-bo-bichette","tag-cody-bellinger"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109344"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109350,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109344\/revisions\/109350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}