Overview
- Jon Heyman reports the Yankees consider Cody Bellinger their top target and are confident he will not choose the Mets.
- YES Network’s Jack Curry says no club has come close to meeting Boras’ demands for Bellinger, reflecting a slow-moving market.
- New York has checked in on free agent Austin Hays as a lower-cost fallback, with multiple reports noting he becomes realistic if Bellinger departs.
- Hays, 30, hit .266 with 15 home runs for the Reds in 2025 and is viewed as a potential platoon fit with Jasson Domínguez rather than a like-for-like replacement.
- A widely shared claim that Bellinger sought $400 million was published and then retracted, underscoring the noise around his free agency as Aaron Judge publicly backs a reunion.