Latest News on Cody Bellinger's MLB Free Agency as Yankees Reportedly Offer Contract

Cody Bellinger has drawn plenty of interest this offseason, and his former team reportedly has taken a big step in re-signing him.

Per the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the New York Yankees "submitted a formal offer" to the star outfielder on Thursday.

The Yankees haven't been too active this offseason, with the most significant move being the retention of outfielder Trent Grisham on a qualifying offer. Bringing back Bellinger would be a significant step toward keeping their World Series hopes alive.

New York's biggest star reportedly has been rooting for Bellinger's return, as Heyman reported last week that Aaron Judge is a "big advocate" for the team to re-sign Bellinger.

Bellinger, 30, is coming off a strong first season with the Yankees, recording 29 home runs — his most since 2019 — along with 98 RBI and a .272 batting average.

Along with the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have expressed interest in Bellinger. His agent, Scott Boras, seemingly revealed some possible landing spots in a cryptic way last month.

"It's not for me to Judge, but great players see Red if they have a big bat Yanked out of their lineup," Boras said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I haven't Met a team that Dodges a five-tool player. To Phil the center field need is a Giant step towards the playoffs. North and south outfielders that fly with power, they're rare Birds. In the offseason, there's a lot of startup to organizations, and for that reason, there's a lot of Angel investors that are looking for very versatile outfielders. So other than that, Belli doesn't have much interest."

But Bellinger's decision reportedly could depend on what another star ends up doing this offseason. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported earlier this month that one source said it "seemed likely" Boras could wait for Kyle Tucker to sign with a team before attempting to finalize a deal.

Tucker is widely considered to be the top free agent available this offseason, so whatever contract he lands could help Bellinger raise his asking price. Tucker has a market value of $40.2 million, per Spotrac, while Bellinger has a $30.4 million market value.