By Miguel Rapetti
08 Nov 2023, 18:02 PM EST
The New York Yankees continue planning their 2024 Major League season after the failure that 2023 represented and now the main addition they would have in the project would be one of the most coveted free agents: Cody Bellinger.
According to reports from New York Post journalist Jon Heyman, the Yankees have made Bellinger their number one priority in the offseason seeking to put together a competitive squad that seeks to return the Mules to the playoffs.
The information also indicates that although the former Chicago Cubs player leads the requests of the Bronx board, there would be two important names who would be considering signing.
The first of them would be the Dominican Juan Soto, who has had rumors for weeks linking him to Yankee Stadium and who could arrive if the Bronx team decides to leave important pieces such as Gleyber Torres or the prospect Everson Pereira.
Likewise, another of interest is the most coveted free agent in all of the Major Leagues: Shohei Ohtani. However, Heyman assured that although he is interested, the chances of signing him are quite low.
As for Bellinger, the outfielder and first baseman was able to revalue himself this year after two fateful seasons (2021 and 2022) with the Los Angeles Dodgers by averaging .307 with the Cubs with 97 RBIs and 26 home runs.
In statements from Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, who also had the opportunity to talk about the negotiations for a new contract for the future free agent in 2024, Pete Alonso, he assured that Bellinger hopes to be able to reach a team with the possibility of achieving the World Series .
“Cody has played in big markets, so he just wants to play on a winning team,” Boras said.
It is expected that the Yankees can recover in 2024, looking for options to qualify for the postseason after finishing fourth in the American League East Division with a balance of 82 wins and 80 losses.