The New York Yankees' bold post-Juan Soto offseason moves have been a mixed bag.
There's the good: Max Fried, and to a lesser extent, Paul Goldschmidt. There's the bad: Devin Williams, though that move looks slightly better day by day. Then, there's Cody Bellinger, who lands somewhere in the middle.
One could argue that with a 115 OPS+ and 1.5 bWAR, Bellinger has been all the Yankees have needed. He's been relatively streaky, though, and for the $22.5 million New York is paying him after the Chicago Cubs retained some salary, he's not been playing up to his contract.
Bellinger has a player option for $25 million next season. He might accept it, and that will be the end of this discussion. But if he heats up in the second half, one writer believes the Yankees' chief rivals could poach him away.
On Thursday, Drew Koch of FanSided named Bellinger as a prospective free-agent fit for the Boston Red Sox, who freed up over $250 million in future payroll when they traded superstar Rafael Devers on Sunday.
"While the Boston outfield would seem to be under lock and key for the foreseeable future, Bellinger has plenty of experience at first base," Koch wrote.
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"He's got one of the sweetest left-handed swings in the game and could opt out of his contract with New York this offseason. Many baseball fans forget that Bellinger is still just 29 years old."
Bellinger probably won't ever be a top candidate for Most Valuable Player again, which he won with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019. He's also a better fit for Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field than he would be at Fenway Park.
However, never underestimate the power of vengeance. If the Red Sox have the financial means and are truly motivated to nab Bellinger from the Bronx, it's certainly a possibility.
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