The New York Yankees are trying to bring back Cody Bellinger to round out their outfield this winter, and it's proving to be a bigger challenge than anticipated.
Things took a significant step forward when Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that Bellinger has an offer on the table from the Yankees wroth $30 million per season.
However, despite Bellinger having a strong AAV offer on the table and being open to a return to the Yankees, the two sides are reportedly still not close to a contract, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Yankees not close with Cody Bellinger despite $30M offer
"The Yankees and No. 1 target Cody Bellinger have exchanged multiple proposals but haven't closed the gap quite enough to shut off other possibilities," Heyman reports.
Seeing the two sides not closing the gap isn't too much of a surprise, but seeing how the Yankees have a strong offer on the table already and still aren't close, it's a concerning situation.
"The New York Yankees' latest multi-year contract offer to free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger featured an average annual value of more than $30 million a year as Bellinger's camp continued to push for seven years," Kurt reports.
The Yankees have a strong offer on the table, of $30 million per year over multiple years. And yet, Bellinger and his camp aren't showing any indication of budging.
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A seven-year offer would be an expensive one for the Yankees, and they might not be comfortable going so long-term with Bellinger, who is 30 years old.
Bellinger's contract offer from the Yankees is no small amount on an AAV basis. But with Bellinger seeking a seven-year deal, that Yankees offer might not have been a long one.
He's trying to lock up a long-term deal, and a two or three-year deal wouldn't be enough for Belliner and his camp this offseason.
Despite a strong offer, on an AAV basis, on the table for Bellinger, the Yankees star outfielder isn't budging, as the two sides remain far apart in contract talks.
There's still time for a deal to be worked out, but these updates from Kuty and Heyman are concerning for the Yankees' odds of retaining Bellinger this offseason.
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