The Yankees finally got their guy. Cody Bellinger is back in pinstripes. But after more than two months of free agency, the reunion feels less like a triumphant homecoming and more like a long-delayed inevitability - one that might have cost New York more than just time.
Let’s break it down: since free agency opened, the Yankees’ offseason haul includes names like Trent Grisham, Ryan Yarbrough, Amed Rosario, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, Kaleb Ort, Paul DeJong, Cade Winquest, and Ryan Weathers. Now, no disrespect to any of those players - depth matters, and there’s always a chance someone surprises - but this isn’t exactly the kind of offseason that signals a major shift from the group that got bounced in the ALDS by the Blue Jays.
The front office seems to be banking on one simple truth: just get to the postseason and anything can happen. And sure, on paper, that’s not a flawed philosophy.
October has a way of leveling the playing field. But for the Yankees, that logic hasn’t held up.
Since 2010, they’ve consistently fallen short in October, even as the playoff field has expanded and theoretically made the path easier. So the idea that simply returning to the dance will change the outcome feels more like wishful thinking than a real plan.
And while Bellinger’s return gives the Yankees a much-needed boost, the way it all unfolded might’ve done more harm than good. Negotiations dragged.
The Yankees waited. And while they were waiting, they weren’t doing much else.
That’s been a recurring issue - especially when Scott Boras is involved.
The Yankees and Boras have a history. Gerrit Cole in 2019?
That deal reportedly involved the Yankees bidding against themselves, ending in a $300+ million contract. Carlos Rodón?
Another drawn-out negotiation that ended in a $162 million commitment, which, while addressing a need, hasn’t exactly aged well. And now Bellinger - a player both sides were clearly interested in reuniting with - took 75 days to finalize.
That’s not just a delay. That’s a missed opportunity.
While the Yankees were locked in a financial tug-of-war over what likely amounted to a few million dollars in the context of a nine-figure deal, the rest of the league kept moving. And New York, limited by its own spending ceiling, couldn’t act decisively elsewhere.
The possibility that Bellinger might not return meant the team had to keep financial flexibility - which meant no major moves while they waited. But if they had spent that money and Bellinger decided to come back?
Then what? Blow past the budget?
Back out of a deal? None of those options are ideal.
It’s not just about Bellinger, either. The Yankees’ front office seems stuck in a pattern - reactive instead of proactive.
They’re waiting for the market to come to them. And when it doesn’t?
They let the clock run and hope it all works out. That approach might’ve made sense a decade ago, but in today’s game - with aggressive front offices, creative roster-building, and an arms race in both analytics and player development - it’s a recipe for stagnation.
There are other factors at play, of course. Maybe the Yankees overcommitted to Grisham’s $22 million qualifying offer.
Maybe they’re betting big on bounce-back seasons from Cole and Rodón after surgery. Maybe the market just didn’t offer many clean fits or elite upgrades.
But the bottom line is this: the one move that made the most sense - bringing back Bellinger - took up most of the offseason. And now, with the calendar flipping toward spring training, the Yankees don’t look dramatically different than the team that fell short in 2025.
Yes, they’ll now get a full season from the players they added at last year’s trade deadline. And yes, they’ve trimmed some of the dead weight.
But is that enough to close the gap between them and the teams that passed them by last year - and got even better this winter? That’s a tough sell.
Bellinger got paid. The Yankees kept a key piece.
That’s a win on paper. But if this was the last big swing of the offseason, it may not be enough to change the narrative - or the results - in 2026.