Good morning everyone, we’re one day closer to actual, bonafide MLB baseball being played. As we draw nearer, we’ll be using our first posts of the day to ask One Big Question about the Yankees. Today, let’s focus on Cody Bellinger. The offseason saga of Bellinger and the Yankees was a slog, but after months of posturing, the two sides managed to reunite, as was expected after the partnership proved so fruitful in Bellinger’s first year in the Bronx.
Bellinger may have been the Yankees’ best position
player not named Aaron Judge in 2025, hitting 29 homers and providing capable defense across the field. His 4.9 fWAR trailed only Judge on the Yankees, and indeed was a top-ten figure among all American League hitters. Suffice to say, Bellinger’s contributions were vital last year, and the Yankees will expect something close to a repeat as they pencil him in as their starting left fielder.
So, will Bellinger be able to repeat his superlative 2025? Bellinger certainly did enough in his Yankee debut to make one optimistic. At age-30, he’s not at the point on the aging curve where decline feels inevitable, and Bellinger’s athleticism looked, at least to the naked eye, to still be largely intact last year. Moreover, even though Bellinger’s been inconsistent throughout his big-league tenure, his strong 2025 came in right around his career averages, with his .813 OPS last year in line with his career .817 OPS. Why shouldn’t we expect Bellinger to continue trucking right along near that mark?
On the other hand, the unfeeling projections forecast some regression, with FanGraphs pegging him for a solid yet unspectacular 3.3 fWAR. Plus, Bellinger arguably ran a little hot last year, his expected wOBA of .322 lagging behind his actual mark of .347. Where will he ultimately land in 2026? Lay out your case in the comments below.
And today on the site, gear up for the 2026 season with the start of our season preview series! Leading off, Jeremy will preview David Bednar’s upcoming campaign. Also, Matt will celebrate George Halas as part of our Yankee Birthday series, Josh will look back at a tense negotiation between Derek Jeter and the Yankees during The Captain’s first foray into free agency, and Madison will put out the call for this week’s mailbag.
