{"id":110742,"date":"2025-12-12T21:51:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=110742"},"modified":"2025-12-12T21:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T02:51:30","slug":"yankees-must-add-another-bat-bellinger-tucker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/12\/12\/yankees-must-add-another-bat-bellinger-tucker\/","title":{"rendered":"The Yankees Must Pivot If They Can’t Sign Bellinger or Tucker"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a quiet offseason so far for the New York Yankees, at least compared to their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. Both clubs have already made big splashes, signing Dylan Cease<\/a> and Pete Alonso to respective long-term deals<\/a>. The Yankees, on the other hand, have made no such big move. The two players they\u2019re most likely to go after are Cody Bellinger<\/a> and Kyle Tucker<\/a>, the two most coveted outfielders in this year\u2019s free agent class.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to <\/span>Greg Joyce of the <\/span>New York Post<\/span><\/i><\/a>, Bellinger and Tucker both have a lengthy list of potential suitors, including but not limited to the Yankees, Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Angels. This won’t make it any easier for New York to retain Bellinger and\/or sign Tucker.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mar 19, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yankees Need a Backup Plan If They Miss Out on Bellinger, Tucker<\/h2>\n

Hot Targets<\/h3>\n

Bellinger\u2019s agent, the infamous Scott Boras, spoke very highly of Bellinger\u2019s skillset, claiming that many teams are all-in on acquiring a player of his caliber: \u201c<\/span>I haven\u2019t met a team that dodges a five-tool player. To fill the center field need is a giant step towards the playoffs,” Boras said. “North and south, outfielders that fly with power, they\u2019re rare birds. In the offseason, there\u2019s a lot of start-up to organizations, and for that reason, there\u2019s a lot of angel investors that are looking for very versatile outfielders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This only makes it look even less likely the Yankees will retain Bellinger<\/a>; owner Hal Steinbrenner said at the beginning of the offseason that it would be \u201cideal\u201d to keep the team\u2019s payroll under $300 million, so keeping Bellinger would come at a cost that the Yankees would clearly prefer to avoid. Tucker will probably receive even more money than Bellinger, so the likelihood of New York having either in their lineup next season is not looking high.<\/span><\/p>\n

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“The better value, for me, is Cody Bellinger<\/a>.”@StevePhillipsGM<\/a> compares Bellinger and Kyle Tucker<\/a> after Brian Cashman mentioned interest in both outfielders. pic.twitter.com\/M28ckIGgGx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n