Brian Cashman’s been around long enough to know that patience isn’t just a virtue in baseball - sometimes, it’s your best pitch. And over the past few weeks in Tampa, the Yankees’ longtime general manager proved just that, playing the long game with baseball’s most formidable agent, Scott Boras, and walking away with the win.
From his fourth-floor office at Steinbrenner Field, Cashman spent much of January working the phones, trying to bridge a massive gap between what the Yankees were willing to pay and what Boras wanted for free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger. The initial divide?
Two years and over $100 million. That’s not a negotiation - that’s a canyon.
But Cashman never blinked.
In early January, the Yankees put a five-year, $162.5 million offer on the table. Boras countered with a bold ask: seven years, $266 million.
And while no other team stepped up to match even New York’s number, Boras held the line. So did Cashman.
And in the end, it was the Yankees’ offer - with a couple of key sweeteners - that Bellinger accepted.
The deal includes two opt-outs and a full no-trade clause, giving Bellinger flexibility, but make no mistake: this was a win for the Yankees. They got their guy, on their terms.
Cashman, calling in from Tampa on Wednesday night for the Somerset Patriots’ annual winter sponsorship banquet, couldn’t hide his satisfaction.
“I didn’t sleep Tuesday night,” he admitted. “There was a lot of effort on our part to try to improve the club.”
It’s the kind of move that can shape a season - and potentially a championship run. Bellinger’s 2025 campaign in pinstripes was a reminder of just how dynamic he can be when healthy and locked in.
He mashed 29 home runs, drove in 98 runs, and played Gold Glove-caliber defense across all three outfield spots - plus some first base for good measure. On a Yankees team that tied for the most wins in the American League (94), Bellinger was a key piece of the puzzle.
And now, he’s back in the Bronx.
The timing, in retrospect, had a bit of poetic symmetry. While Cashman was pacing outside during calls with Boras, just a few feet below, fantasy camp was in full swing.
Among the guest instructors? Clay Bellinger - Cody’s dad and a former reserve outfielder on those late-90s Yankees dynasty teams.
“If I had known that Clay was here,” Cashman said with a grin, “I would have grabbed him and said, ‘Hey, would you sign this?’”
That kind of moment - a GM grinding through negotiations while a former Yankee and current Yankee dad is taking grounders nearby - feels straight out of a baseball movie. But it also speaks to the undercurrent of familiarity and connection that’s always been part of the Yankees’ fabric.
During the Zoom call, Yankees radio voice Suzyn Waldman introduced Cashman to a standing ovation from the 200-plus guests in attendance. She didn’t hold back her excitement either.
“As Max Fried once said to me about Cody Bellinger, ‘He is an All-Star at four positions,’” Waldman said. “The general manager can’t say anything, but Cody Bellinger is back here, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Cashman smiled, but stayed within the lines - the deal isn’t official until Bellinger passes his physical. Still, the relief and pride were written all over his face.
“I’ve been very vocal all winter and at the end of last season that we’d love to have Cody back,” he said.
The rest of Cashman’s appearance was a tribute to the Somerset Patriots, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate since 2021. After the pandemic canceled the 2020 minor league season, the Yankees made the switch from Trenton to Somerset - a move that’s only strengthened the organization’s player development pipeline.
Cashman recalled hearing glowing reviews for years about Patriots founder Steve Kalafer, a New Jersey businessman and longtime Yankees fan. When the Yankees finally made the move, they found more than just a well-run franchise - they found a partner that shared their vision.
“The synergy was perfect for us,” Cashman said. “The facilities were tremendous already, and then the willingness for them to pour in and improve upon it ... it was an easy decision to make for us, and we’ve not looked back.”
He even shared a little behind-the-scenes nugget: when Yankees players are rehabbing, they’re asking to go to Somerset. Not just because it’s close, but because the environment is top-notch.
“Hopefully Somerset is just as happy as we are with this relationship,” Cashman said. “Because it was a match made in heaven.”
That same sentiment could apply to Bellinger and the Yankees. After a successful first season in the Bronx, the fit feels right. And this time, Cashman didn’t let Boras push the price into the stratosphere - something the agent managed to do last winter, when the Yankees’ 16-year, $760 million offer wasn’t enough to keep Juan Soto from heading to the Mets.
This time, the Yankees held firm. And they got their man.
As Waldman put it after Cashman’s call ended: “Just the fact that he beat Scott Boras ... Oh, my God!
Isn’t that the greatest thing? He just stared him down and stared him down!”
And maybe, just maybe, Clay Bellinger showing up to fantasy camp was the tell. As Waldman joked, “(Clay’s) not going to go to Yankees fantasy camp if his son is going to Toronto, right?”
Well, he’s not. Cody Bellinger is back in pinstripes. And Brian Cashman just might have pulled off one of his best offseason wins yet.