Yankees Mag: Back for More

The location might not have been one that Cody Bellinger had expected to be visiting after he went through the free-agent process over the winter, but the uniform he was wearing, well, that made perfect sense.

On a chilly February day in Tampa, Fla., the Yankees’ big league squad was forced to relocate from George M. Steinbrenner Field along Dale Mabry Highway to the organization’s Minor League facility on Himes Avenue, the result of an untimely plumbing issue.

About an hour into the workout, Bellinger stepped to the plate for a few rounds of batting practice. With Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as his backdrop, he immediately began drilling baseballs over the wall of the main field. A few of them landed in a parking lot beyond center field, and some of the blasts slammed into the metal roof of the team’s indoor facility, which sits behind the right-field fence.

With two of the game’s most prolific sluggers looking on, Bellinger put on his own show of power and might, launching one baseball after another over Giancarlo Stanton’s head, while also evoking some unexpected emotion from Aaron Judge, as the captain stood next to the batting cage.

“Totally locked in!” Judge yelled out loudly.

After acquiring Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2025 season, then watching him bat .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBIs, the Yankees were intent on re-signing the free-agent outfielder. As is often the case, though, the pursuit of Bellinger took time and perseverance. But in the end, the Yankees landed the player they coveted most this past winter, signing the 30-year-old to a five-year contract in late January.

“He’s a really talented, multi-positional athlete with a middle-of-the-lineup type of bat,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “He’s an intelligent player who provides us with a lot of consistency in the lineup. We wanted him back. It was us versus the marketplace, and ultimately, he’s a really high-end player who we are excited to have back.”

For Aaron Boone, adding Bellinger’s left-handed bat to his lineup proved to be a move that enhanced his team’s offensive production in more ways than one.

“We felt like we were getting a really special player and a guy who was a great fit for our stadium,” Boone said. “And that turned out to be absolutely true. He can win a game in a lot of ways, and that became really apparent to us last year. At the plate, you see him hit the ball in the gap and fly around the bases to score. He’s a great hitter, and as good of a baserunner as there is.”

Bellinger also provides Boone with flexibility in the batting order, as he was as productive batting in front of Judge as he was following the big righty in the lineup.

“When I’m hitting behind Aaron, I know that pitchers are going to walk him a lot to get to me,” Bellinger said in an exclusive Yankees Magazine interview in Tampa during Spring Training. “They’re not going to let Aaron beat them, and I really had to be ready sooner. When I’m batting behind Aaron, there’s more mental preparation; I’m getting ready in the dugout, not the on-deck circle.

“When I’m hitting in front of him, you have to have a completely different approach. You know that the opposing pitcher is going to be more aggressive, and I really get a lot of good pitches to hit.”

In the field, Bellinger played all three outfield positions and also seven games at first base, and his play at all four of those spots impressed Boone.

“He fits us so well with his ability to play our tough left field and legitimately be able to also play center field,” Boone said. “I didn’t play him a lot at first base last year, but when I did, I really appreciated what an outstanding athlete he is.”

Bellinger’s desire to remain with the Yankees -- the team that his father, Clay, played for from 1999 through 2001 and won two championships with -- played a role in his ultimate return. With several lucrative offers on the table, Bellinger was mindful of what it would mean to build his own pinstriped legacy over time.

“I felt right at home last year,” Bellinger said. “We have a winning culture, and we all show up to win every day. I was excited to be part of that last year. I love playing in New York.

“It feels good to know that I will be here for a long time. Yankee Stadium is a special place to play, and I really enjoyed my time here last season. The free-agent process is interesting, but now that it’s done, I feel great about being back. This is where I wanted to be.”

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One of the highlights of Bellinger’s first season came on Old-Timers’ Day, when the Yankees brought his father back to town. Prior to taking the field that day, the younger Bellinger caught the ceremonial first pitch from Clay.

“That was the coolest thing that happened last season,” Bellinger said. “It happened so fast because we were getting ready for a game, but playing catch with my dad on the field before the game, that was a great moment. I won’t ever forget that; it really took me back to my childhood at the old Stadium.

“But honestly, just wearing the pinstripes and playing in Yankee Stadium was a really special part of my career. Having the NY logo on my chest was important, and I wanted to represent it well.”

Bellinger hasn’t yet authored a postseason moment for the Yankees like his father did during the 2000 World Series when he robbed the Mets’ Todd Zeile of a potential ninth-inning home run, but the man currently wearing No. 35 came through time and time again in the clutch last season.

With runners in scoring position, Bellinger batted .348 with seven home runs and eight doubles, and his 49 hits in those situations ranked third in the American League. Having such a reliable hitter in the middle of the team’s star-studded lineup contributed to the Yankees’ offense outscoring every other team in the sport.

“When I’m on deck and there is a runner on base, I go through all of the possible situations in my head,” Bellinger said. “I think about what it will look like if I come up with a guy on second or if he hits a homer. When I’m walking up to the plate, I’m prepared for whatever the situation is. As long as I’m prepared for the at-bat, that’s all that I care about.”

In addition to his penchant for getting runners across the plate, Bellinger also struck out much more infrequently over the last three seasons as compared to his first six years with the Dodgers. In nearly 600 at-bats last season, Bellinger struck out just 90 times.

“I love his approach at the plate,” Boone said. “He has the ability to slap the ball around the field with two strikes, and with his pull power, he also has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark. More than anything, he evolves as the count unfolds. He makes it hard on opposing pitchers to get that third strike, and that is something in the game today that is pretty rare.”

Bellinger’s analysis of how he has reduced his average strikeout totals by about a third is quite simple: He’s a smarter hitter, and the added wisdom is the result of spending nearly a decade in the big leagues.

“I think it’s experience,” he said. “You learn more each year. Every single year, I figure out what I need to do differently in order to be a better hitter and what I need to keep doing from before. Each season is an opportunity to learn more about yourself and to continue to improve.

“I let the game come to me much more than I did in the past. At the point I’m at now, I’ve learned a lot about the game and about myself. I know which pitchers are going to be difficult, and I’m able to just play that game within my ability. That’s the most fun part of the game for me; just being able to stay relaxed and think through each pitch.”

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Bellinger might be striking out less these days, but that’s not to say that his first few years in the Majors were unsuccessful. After making his big league debut in 2017, Bellinger emerged as one of the game’s brightest stars, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors that season. (The winner in the other league was a guy Bellinger has come to know well -- Judge; meanwhile, another current teammate, Stanton, was the NL MVP that season.) Two years later, he hit a career-high 47 home runs and took home NL MVP honors.

“Those years happened in the blink of an eye,” he said. “I didn’t even appreciate it in the moment, even when I won the National League MVP. I just expected to be able to play at that level forever.”

Following the abbreviated 2020 season, which ended with Bellinger and the Dodgers winning the World Series, injuries quickly began to change the trajectory of the two-time All-Star’s career. He was on the injured list for several months in 2021 with broken ribs, a broken fibula and a dislocated shoulder that would require surgery. Although he was on the field for much of the 2022 season, he was unable to recapture his past form, batting .210 with just 19 home runs in 144 games.

With uncertainty surrounding Bellinger’s future, the Dodgers decided to non-tender the former MVP, making him a free agent. Being released by the organization that had drafted him -- the club with which he had won a championship -- was devastating. But Bellinger believes that the adversity he faced made him a more complete player and leader.

“I’ve been the best player in the world, and I’ve literally been the worst player,” he said. “I had some really tough years, but when I look back on it now, I’m honestly happy that I did fail. If you have constant success, you really can’t relate with many people. I wouldn’t be able to relate to anyone on this team who is struggling. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about who was with me -- who was really in my corner. Ultimately, I’m grateful for those two really bad years, even though they were a grind.”

Bellinger joined the Chicago Cubs in 2023 and began to ascend from the lowest point of his career. With renewed health, he batted .307 in 130 games, earning the National League Comeback Player of the Year award. He followed up that campaign with another strong season in the Windy City before getting traded to the Yankees.

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Having now been around Bellinger for a full season, Boone has a first-hand appreciation for how the success and challenges have impacted the veteran outfielder.

“Cody’s been through a lot as a player,” Boone said. “Because of his experiences, he has real grit to him. He’s grizzled, and he has so much experience, much more than other players that are the same age as him. He has dealt with a real significant injury and had some serious struggles at the big league level and then reinvented himself. There aren’t too many players who have achieved as much as Cody and struggled as much.”

With his career back on track and his long-term future set, Bellinger is focused on building off the success he had in 2025 and making even more significant contributions at the plate in Year 2.

“I was happy with my consistency and how I bounced back from a slow start, but I want to be a better player than I was last year,” said the career .261 hitter with 225 home runs on his register. “That’s what I expect and that’s what I want. That’s what I’m thinking about every day in Spring Training.”

Bellinger also believes that he and Judge, along with center fielder Trent Grisham, will benefit from having played alongside each other for the majority of the 2025 season.

“Last year, we were learning each other’s range and communication,” Bellinger said. “Honestly, by the middle of the season, you’re starting to figure each other out and specifically how each other operates. I loved sharing the outfield with those guys, but I think we can be an even better unit than we were. We feel like we can be a special team, and a big part of that has to do with the group of outfielders who are coming back.”

When asked what he hopes to accomplish over the next five years, Bellinger is quick to describe his desire to win a championship in pinstripes. That hasn’t changed since the day he first arrived in Tampa in 2025, albeit to the more fitting Major League facility.

But his journey has taught him that although he may not be able to control the outcome, what he does and specifically how much he puts in to reaching his goals is what matters most.

That has been his mantra since the Dodgers released him. And whether he’s taking batting practice at the Yankees’ Minor League facility on a Sunday morning in February or coming up to the plate with the bases full on a summer night at Yankee Stadium, Bellinger is bringing everything he has.

“I want to know that I gave it my all while I was wearing this uniform,” he said. “I don’t want to have any doubts or feel like I could have done something better. I want to feel like I gave it everything I had. At the end of my career, if I feel that way, that’s really all you can ask for.

“I’m going to be locked in until I retire. I’m going to keep fighting.”

Alfred Santasiere III is the editor-in-chief of Yankees Magazine. This story appears in the April 2026 edition. Get more articles like this delivered to your doorstep by purchasing a subscription to Yankees Magazine at www.yankees.com/publications.