ESPN | Jorge Castillo: It doesn’t mean he won’t be a Yankee in 2026, but Cody Bellinger is going to exercise his opt-out and test free agency. The versatile lefty slugger was outstanding for the Yanks in 2025, hitting 29 home runs and providing excellent defense all over the diamond. It remains to be seen whether, and by how much, Bellinger can exceed the AAV of his last deal. But I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t get nine figures in free agency. Whether that is from the Yankees remains to be seen.
MLB
| Mark Feinsand: Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami is expected to cross the Pacific and ply his craft in the majors beginning next season. Murakami is a corner infielder who spent approximately 75 percent of his time in Japan at third base, with the remainder at first. He’s shown prodigious power in Japan, highlighted by bashing 56 home runs in his Triple Crown season of 2022. According to reports, the Yankees are an early favorite for his services, joined by at least the Mets, Mariners, and Phillies, with another handful of times possibilities for his services.
FanGraphs | Davy Andrews: I don’t want to talk about the playoffs. I don’t even want to think about them. But, it’s worth talking about what we saw this October from the greatest hitter on Earth. After years of justified flack for underperforming in October, Aaron Judge was virtually unstoppable this postseason. Dig into Andrews’ analysis of just how spectacular Judge’s playoff was. One fun nugget: setting a minimum of 30 plate appearances (Judge had 31), his .500 batting average is the third highest in postseason history.
The Ringer | Ben Glicksman: Was an early and unsatisfying end to the Yankees’ season inevitable? Glicksman thinks so. And Glicksman has a clear culprit. Aaron Boone.
“Eight seasons in, this is the defining experience of Boone’s tenure. His lineups go cold in October. His defense is burned by simple mistakes. And his decision-making falters in the biggest moments.”
If you want to torture yourself, read on, as The Ringer takes you on a tour of October Failures Past. Welcome to the offseason.
