Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger will opt out of his contract and hit free agency, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN.
Bellinger, who had a $25 million player option for 2026, said after New York's season ended on Wednesday night that he would welcome a return to the Bronx if he opted out.
Bellinger, 30, slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 152 regular season games this year, helping the Yankees make it back to the postseason. While there, the former NL MVP performed well, despite his less-than-stellar numbers. In the seven playoff games this year, Bellinger slashed .214/.258/.393 with an OPS of .651. He hit one home run, two doubles and drove in four runs while playing very good defense.
In Game 4 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays, while Bellinger made a terrific sliding catch to prevent runs from scoring in the first inning, he went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, including striking out swinging in the ninth inning to end the game.
While the season didn't end the way Bellinger and the Yankees wanted, the 30-year-old looked fondly on his time in the Bronx and with his teammates.
"I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform. Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room," he said. "It really is special. It's such a fun group, a fun group to be a part of. We came up short and that part stinks for sure because we had a really really good group here."
Manager Aaron Boone was asked about Bellinger and Trent Grisham — who is set to be a free agent this offseason — and whether he hopes they return to the Yankees in 2026.
"The thing I'll say about them is they're a big reason why I was so excited about this club down the stretch and at this point. Just really proud of who those guys were and are and what they became as players, as driving forces for our team," Boone said. "But in those two cases, the two people those guys are in the room every single day and what they brought to the table as teammates every single day, I appreciate that. And I'm grateful to get to have managed those two guys. Who knows? Hopefully, in both cases, I get to keep doing it."
New York acquired Bellinger and $5 million in cash considerations last December through a trade with the Chicago Cubs for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet.
He originally signed with the Cubs on a one-year contract entering 2023, including a mutual option for 2024, which saw him slash .307/.356/.525 while hitting 26 home runs and 97 RBI over 130 games. It was his best season since 2019. That year, his age-23 season, Bellinger's career-best campaign included a .305/.406/.629 slash line with 47 home runs and 115 RBI in 162 regular season games.
After the 2023 season, Bellinger declined his mutual option and became a free agent. He re-signed with the Cubs in February 2024 on a three-year, $80 million contract that included opt-out clauses after the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Bellinger slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI over 130 regular-season games in 2024 for the Cubs.
"I get business," Bellinger said last December while discussing Chicago's decision to trade him after he opted into his clause for 2025. "Very good at separating the business and the baseball, and I'm the baseball player and there's business in this game, so I just want to prepare and play the best baseball that I can play."
Cody Bellinger says he'd welcome a return to the Yankees if he opts out of his contract:
"I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform. Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room. It's special." pic.twitter.com/Ov93n3eGjF
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 9, 2025
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