Mets get bad news on free-agent Cody Bellinger amid strong Yankees offer

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Matt Sullivan
Mets get bad news on free-agent Cody Bellinger amid strong Yankees offer image

The New York Mets were dealt some unfortunate news on Thursday night, as their top free-agent target, outfielder Kyle Tucker, signed a ridiculous $240 million, four-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now, not only did the Mets lose Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers, but their top free agent target also joined the Dodgers on a massive deal. Now, the Mets need to pivot, and Cody Bellinger is the next logical step.

However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Mets are not likely to sign Bellinger. With the New York Yankees offer already on the table, the Mets are not expected to be able to beat it and will more likely than not lose out on Bellinger as well.

Mets expected to miss out on Cody Bellinger

"To sign Bellinger, the next-best free agent outfielder, they would need to beat the Yankees' five-year offer for between $155 million and $160 million, without deferrals." Rosenthal writes. "That seems unlikely, given the Mets' preference for shorter deals."

While the Mets lost out on Tucker due to the Dodgers' spending roughly $20 million more than the Mets, the free agency of Bellinger isn't expected to go the Mets' way, with their unwillingness to hand out longer deals.

Bellinger is seeking a seven-year deal, and the Yankees are currently balking at such a demand. The Mets, showing zero intention of going that long on free agents, likely won't beat the Yankees' offer.

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Rosenthal's report suggests that the Mets are not likely to land Bellinger, which makes the loss of Tucker to the Dodgers sting even more. As Rosenthal put it, "Which is why Tucker was practically a must-have."

The Mets don't have many options left this winter, as their next-best option to improve the outfield is likely to trade for or sign a veteran who's not nearly as good as Tucker or Bellinger.

While they're not out of the Bellinger sweepstakes yet, they likely would need to change their tune to bring Bellinger to the Mets outfield. Barring a change, which they didn't make for Tucker, the better player, the Mets are likely to miss out on Bellinger as well.

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