Yankees Predicted to Lose Cody Bellinger to Dodgers in $160 Million Deal

To say that the New York Yankees have been sluggish this offseason would be an understatement. They have sat and watched as big-name free agents such as former Mets slugger Pete Alonso, San Diego Padres ace righty Dylan Cease, and, most recently, Japan League star right-hander Tatsuya Imai, signed elsewhere. Alonso and Cease inked deals with the Yankees’ American League East rivals—the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively—making New York’s inactivity even more frustrating for fans and puzzling for analysts.

### Bellinger Remains Unsigned by Yankees, or Anyone Else

Despite the slow movement, several high-priority free agents remain unsigned. For the Yankees, the top priority has to be their own Cody Bellinger. The former National League MVP and Rookie of the Year played the 2025 season in the Bronx, then opted out of the contract that would have paid him $25 million in 2026.

So, why haven’t the Yankees managed to bring Bellinger back with just six weeks to go before pitchers and catchers report for spring training?

Reportedly, the team made a formal offer to the 30-year-old left-handed hitter sometime around New Year’s Day. However, if those reports were accurate, whatever they offered was not enough to finalize a deal.

### Yankees Insider Makes Bold Bellinger Prediction

Last week, reports surfaced claiming Bellinger was seeking a deal that would keep him in one place for up to seven years—a length of time that makes teams understandably hesitant to commit major financial resources to a player well into his late 30s.

But a new prediction from a Yankees insider, NorthJersey.com correspondent Pete Caldera, suggests that Bellinger might sign for what, in today’s market, would be considered a more reasonable deal. The catch? According to Caldera’s forecast, Bellinger will not sign with the Yankees.

In fact, Caldera predicts Bellinger will take his time to make a decision and eventually choose to return to where his career began.

> “Three weeks before camps open, Cody Bellinger shuns the New York teams and signs a five-year, $160 million contract with the world champion Dodgers,” Caldera predicted in his list of New Year’s predictions published Friday.

### Dodgers Were the Team That Drafted Bellinger

With Yankees pitchers and catchers set to report by February 13, Bellinger’s decision date, as per Caldera’s prediction, would be around January 23. At that time, the Yankees will still be waiting, only to see Bellinger turn his back on New York, including the Mets, who have also been rumored to be interested in signing the nine-year veteran.

Bellinger was originally drafted by Los Angeles in the fourth round out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, in 2013. It is also where he put up his best seasons, including his NL MVP year of 2019. That season, he compiled a league-leading WAR of 8.9, an OPS of 1.035, and blasted 47 home runs—a total he has not come close to replicating since.

In fact, the highest home run total of his career since that MVP season came last year in the Bronx, where he capitalized on Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field to hit 29 homers.

However, the $32 million average annual paycheck that Caldera predicts Bellinger will receive from the Dodgers just might be enough to lure him back to Chavez Ravine and away from New York.
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/new-york-yankees/cody-bellinger-dodgers-160-million/

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