Yankees Rumors: Juan Soto, Cody Bellinger Still in Play for NYY Despite Verdugo Trade

The New York Yankees reportedly traded for Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, but that doesn't take them out of the running for either San Diego Padres superstar Juan Soto or free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke that news.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier Tuesday that the Yanks landed Verdugo for three right-handed pitchers.

SNY's Andy Martino also confirmed that the Yanks are still in on Soto, noting that general manager Brian Cashman has expressed his desire to add two left-handed hitting outfielders.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic previously reported Tuesday that talks between the Yankees and Padres had stalled:

"But the talks stalled when the Padres' asking price for Soto remained too high for the Yankees, the source said. The Padres asked for a smattering of players from the Yankees, proposing at one point an 8-for-2 deal that would have added San Diego center fielder Trent Grisham to the mix. The source added that the Padres have been interested in a slew of young Yankees arms, including Mike King, Clark Schmidt, Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito and highly regarded prospect Drew Thorpe."

However, Kuty also said the Yankees were "still very much in on" Soto following the Verdugo deal.

YES Network reporter Jack Curry also added Tuesday that talks have "reignited" between the Yankees and Padres on Soto.

With the Soto-Yankees chatter hot right now, Bellinger seems like less of a possibility. As it stands, Kuty reported Sunday that the price for him may be too much.

"The team is interested in free-agent center fielder Cody Bellinger, the source said, but so far his asking price has been set prohibitively high," Kuty wrote.

That smoke hasn't died down yet, either, and with the Yankees coming off a disappointing 82-80 season, changes are clearly on the horizon. It's just a question of who, for whom and when at this point.