After losing Juan Soto, Brian Cashman quickly shifted to Plan B and went after a familiar name: Cody Bellinger.
“I acquired his dad back in the day. Now I acquired his son,” the New York Yankees general manager said on Wednesday.
In the first 10 days after Soto rejected the Yankees to sign a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, the Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, traded for closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, and obtained Bellinger, a former NL MVP, from the Chicago Cubs.
Cashman also said that the Yankees had been invited to meet with Roki Sasaki, a highly regarded 23-year-old pitcher from Japan. Sasaki is eligible to sign with Major League Baseball teams from January 15 to 23.
“I’m just happy we have an opportunity,” Cashman said. “Extremely talented, no doubt about it, has a chance to be one of the world’s great pitchers. Be nice to be able to have Yankee Stadium be his home.”
Since Sasaki is under 25, MLB treats him as an international amateur, which means he will be subject to signing bonus pools usually allocated to 16-year-old Latin American players. Teams have a set amount to spend, ranging from about $7.6 million to $4.1 million, and the Yankees are capped at around $5.3 million.
Bellinger’s father signed with the Yankees in November 1996 and played for the team from 1999 to 2001, winning two World Series and three American League pennants. Cody was just six years old when his father’s last season with the Yankees ended.
“Someone that wants to be here,” Cashman said, a comment some might interpret as aimed at Soto. “I’ve been hearing it for a long time, including his agent, Scott Boras, saying, `Can you get him over here? He’s driving me crazy. He wants to be a Yankee.’ But that’s not why I did it. I did it because it’s a fit.”
Bellinger could play in the outfield or at first base, depending on what other moves the Yankees make.
“There’s different ways of doing it,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You’re never going to have the perfect team, and you’d never know going into an offseason what you’re going to be able to do, whether it’s hammering a strength or plugging a hole.
It’s kind of where the market and the matchups happen. And so far, I think the moves that we’ve made, I’m really excited about. … I feel like the winter’s been a good one.”
Bellinger is guaranteed $52.5 million for the next two seasons. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter will make $27.5 million next year, and he has a $25 million player option for 2026 with a $5 million buyout.
“Honored to wear the pinstripes, ready and excited to get to work!!” he wrote on Instagram.
The Cubs agreed to send the Yankees $5 million: $2.5 million next September 1, and if Bellinger’s option is exercised, five payments of $500,000 will be made from May to September 2026. If the option is declined, the Cubs will pay the Yankees $2.5 million on January 15, 2026.
Bellinger batted .266 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in 130 games this year. He was sidelined between April 23 and May 7 due to a broken right rib. He had a 1.035 OPS in 2019 when he made his second All-Star team and won the NL MVP award with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, his OPS has been above .800 only once in the last five years.
“I do feel like offensively speaking, he’ll play up in our yard and he’s still a young man and a really good athlete,” Boone said. “So you always hope for the ultimate upside, but at the very least, I know we’re getting a really valuable player.”
Boone spoke with Bellinger on Tuesday night.
“He’s like, `By the way, don’t worry about where you play me. I’ll play wherever. Wherever you need me that night, whether it’s center, left, first, whatever it may be,’” Boone recalled.
Williams will become the Yankees’ closer, and both Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake said they assured Luke Weaver that he would still have a significant role.
“Weaver will still close some games, obviously, on given nights, I would anticipate,” Boone said. “But I do plan on having Devin be our closer.”
Blake said Jonathan Loáisiga could return from Tommy John surgery in late April or May. The 30-year-old right-hander has a pending agreement on a one-year contract.
“I imagine him being one of the high-leverage guys,” Blake said. “Obviously, we got to take some time to get him right, make sure we don’t rush him into competition.”
