The 2025 MLB season is setting the stage for what is expected to be an entertaining offseason this winter, when a number of highly-coveted free agents enter the market. New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, who has put up solid numbers during his first season in the Bronx, may be among those free agents.
Bellinger is in the second year of a three-year contract he signed with the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2024 campaign and has the potential to exercise an opt-out clause at the end of the season. Given the way he's performed this year, it may behoove him to see if other teams are willing to offer him more than the $25 million he's set to get paid in 2026.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, specifically, believes Bellinger may draw interest from the New York Mets, the Yankees' Subway Series rivals.
Heyman believes Bellinger is strong fit for Mets, given their current free agency situation
During a Tuesday episode of MLB Central, Heyman shared who he considers to be the top free agents this offseason. He placed Bellinger seventh on his personal list.
"Bellinger's had a terrific year in the Bronx. In fact, one Yankee person told me, 'He's our best player,'" Heyman said. "That's, obviously, an exaggeration, but he's been really good in four spots. He's got an .837 OPS."
Heyman said he expects Bellinger to play for a big-market team in 2026 and beyond, going as far as to mention the Mets as a potential candidate for his services.
"The Mets would be a fit, too, because they have two free agents — certainly, one in center field, one at first base," Heyman said. "Bellinger told me the other day that he wants to play for a winner. That's his only prerequisite."
Bellinger, a former MVP and World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been hitting .278 with 27 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .505 slugging percentage across 129 games this season.