The Yankees’ outfield picture could end up steering the rest of their offseason, and Cody Bellinger may be the piece that determines how aggressive they get.
New York still needs more offense after another letdown at the plate, one that was laid bare in the ALDS sweep by the AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. The club also has clear openings at second base and third base, but the uncertainty in center field may be just as important. Right now, the projected outfield has Aaron Judge in right, Spencer Jones in center and Bellinger in left, though the Yankees have not committed to Jones as their everyday center fielder.
YES Network insider Jack Curry said Jones is the “leading” name to be the Yankees’ center fielder next season, but he also noted the team will keep looking for ways to upgrade the spot. People around the Yankees have also mentioned Bellinger and Judge as center-field options, though Judge feels like a nonstarter after an injury-marred season.
That leaves Bellinger as the realistic pivot point. If the Yankees move him to center, a league source told FanSided that it could change the type of outfielder they chase next. In that scenario, the source said New York could target a right-handed hitting outfielder, with Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seiya Suzuki and Tyrone Taylor all mentioned as possible fits.
Hernandez would require a trade, since he is in the final guaranteed year of his contract with the Dodgers and has a $15 million club option for 2028. He’s 34 and posted -7 Outs Above Average last season, which would be a clear defensive step back for the Yankees.
Still, the appeal is obvious: his bat would bring power, and his right-handed swing would help offset a lineup that leans left. That would come at the expense of the kind of glove work Bellinger delivered in left, where he won the Platinum Glove Award.
Suzuki might be the cleanest fit on paper because he would help both sides of the ball, but he comes with a steep cost. He is tied to the qualifying offer, meaning the Yankees would have to give up their second- and fifth-highest draft picks plus $1 million in international bonus pool money to sign him. That kind of price could give them pause, even if the payoff would be a lineup that opposing pitchers would have to respect.
Taylor is the more modest option, but he brings value of his own. He built his reputation on strong outfield defense and had a breakout 2026 season with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, hitting .279/.325/.502 with an .827 OPS, 11 home runs, 38 RBI and a 1.7 bWAR.
He can handle both left and center, but he does not look like the kind of addition that would justify moving Bellinger to center every day. He would make more sense as a fourth outfielder and as a Trent Grisham replacement in 2027.
The Yankees have roughly three weeks to lock this down, and the decision could shape how the rest of their offseason unfolds.
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