Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger plans to opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent, a source told MLB.com.
Bellinger just completed the second year of a three-year contract that he signed with the Cubs in February 2024, and he has a $25 million player option for next season. The Yankees acquired the 30-year-old outfielder along with cash from the Cubs in exchange for right-hander Cody Poteet last December.
Bellinger enjoyed a productive season with the Bronx Bombers, producing 29 home runs with a .272 average and an .814 OPS over 152 games. That homer total was Bellinger’s best since 2019, when he hit 47 during his National League Most Valuable Player Award-winning season with the Dodgers. His 13.7% strikeout rate and 18.1% whiff rate in '25 were also personal bests.
“I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform,” Bellinger said following the Yankees’ season-ending loss to the Blue Jays in ALDS Game 4 on Wednesday. “Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room. It really is special.
"It's such a fun group; it was 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.”
Bellinger also played strong defense at all three spots in the Yankees’ outfield and at first base. His plus-9 fielding run value ranked in the 91st percentile in MLB and was second best on the team, behind catcher Austin Wells’ plus-11.
Bellinger -- whose father, Clay, played with the Yankees from 1999-2001 -- is one of many key players on New York’s roster set to test free agency this winter. That group includes outfielder Trent Grisham, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and late-inning relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.