The New York Yankees have a duty to keep pace this offseason with their aggressive competition in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays have sprinted ahead of the pack already by signing two starting pitchers, and the Boston Red Sox haven’t been inactive, either (see: Sonny Gray).
What’s New York’s next chess move? The Yankees’ biggest storyline so far in the young offseason has been Trent Grisham accepting his qualifying offer, a development that was met with mixed reviews by New York’s fan base.
According to The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman, the Yanks are still focused on filling their third and final starting outfield spot with a player who debuted in the Bronx last season to considerable success: former NL MVP Cody Bellinger.
“That’s their No. 1 guy,” Heyman said of the Yankees and Bellinger, who hit 29 homers last season to the tune of an .813 OPS.
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“There is a gap right now in the talks,” Heyman added. “So that is not anything that appears to be close. Of course, all of these situations are fluid. … Bellinger, they feel, is the fit. He took to Yankee Stadium.”
Heyman listed the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies as other potential landing spots for Bellinger.
The only bigger fish on the outfield free agency market is Kyle Tucker. Heyman reported recently that the Yankees are so high on Bellinger, that they even view Tucker as a “backup plan” if they fail to sign Bellinger.
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