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MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger and the New York Yankees have agreed to terms on a 5 year, $162.5 million deal, per multiple reports. The deal includes opt outs for Bellinger after 2027 and 2028, as well as a full no-trade clause.

Bellinger, 30, has been a curious free agent case in two of the past three seasons. The 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2019 Most Valuable Player was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2022 season, having put up a 542 OPS in 2021 and a 654 OPS in 2022. Bellinger signed a one year deal with the Cubs for 2023 that guaranteed him $17.5 million.

Bellinger had a terrific bounceback season, putting up an 881 OPS and 4.8 bWAR. A tepid free agent market for Bellinger after the 2023 season resulted in him not signing until after the 2024 spring training camps had opened up, ultimately entering into a three year, $80 million deal with the Cubs at the end of February that featured opt-outs after years one and two.

Bellinger disappointed in 2024 for Chicago, slashing .266/.325/.426, and the Cubs traded him to the New York Yankees after the season and subsidized some of his salary, ultimately paying $5 million for him to go away in return for pitcher Cody Poteet.

Bellinger excelled once again in 2025, slashing .272/.334/.480 in 152 games while putting up a 5.1 bWAR. Bellinger’s lefty swing benefitted from playing half his games in Yankee Stadium — he put up a 909 OPS at home, compared to a 715 OPS on the road.

Because of that split, a return to New York always seemed to make the most sense for Bellinger. Meanwhile, Bellinger’s good fit in their home park, as well as his defensive versatility, meant that bringing him back made sense for New York, as well. This move technically puts Jasson Dominguez out of the starting lineup, but given the injury histories of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, as well as Trent Grisham and Ben Rice not having a long history of hitting well in the majors, Bellinger’s ability to play quality defense at all three outfield spots as well as first base provides the Yankees with valuable defensive flexibility.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers finalized their four-year, $240 million contract for Kyle Tucker on Wednesday, introducing the All-Star outfielder in a press conference at Dodger Stadium. But they needed to make space on the 40-man roster for the addition of Tucker, so Los Angeles designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment.

Siani was claimed off waivers on December 12 from the Atlanta Braves, who had claimed the outfielder from the St. Louis Cardinals in November.

A defense-first center fielder, Siani has played parts of the last four seasons in the majors with the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. He hit .221/.277/.270 with a 58 wRC+ in 160 career games and 383 plate appearances. He played in 19 games in 2025, none of them starts, with four singles in 17 at-bats plus two walks.

Siani in Triple-A Memphis last season hit .209/.307/.329 with a 71 wRC+ and 24 extra-base hits in 101 games. Between the majors and minors, 641 of Siani’s 673 career defensive starts have come in center field.

This is similar to another recent waiver claim by the Dodgers. Utility man Ryan Fitzgerald was claimed off waivers on January 9, designated for assignment on January 13 with the signing of infielder Andy Ibáñez, then after he cleared waivers on Monday was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, still in the organization as depth but now off the 40-man roster.

We’ll find out in the next week or so what fate awaits Siani, either claimed or traded elsewhere or possibly sticking around if he clears waivers. With one year, 63 days of service time and as someone who has not previously been sent outright to the minors, Siani wouldn’t be able to refuse an outright assignment should it come to that.

The New York Yankees got their man, and yes, at their price, too.

The Yankees signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract Wednesday morning, two officials with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal won’t become official until Bellinger passes his physical.

The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, a full no-trade clause and a $20 million signing bonus. If Bellinger opts out after the second year of the contract, he will have earned a nifty $85 million the first two years.

The average $42.5 million salary the first two years is $500,000 higher than Bo Bichette’s three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets, that includes an opt-out after each season.

It was actually during Bichette’s news conference in New York that the Yankees and agent Scott Boras agreed to Bellinger’s deal, setting off a frenzy in New York.

The Yankees, who refused to budge off their five-year proposal, insisted they would not get into a bidding war. They believed all along that no one would outbid them and provide Bellinger the seven-year deal he was seeking.

They proved to be right.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made another big splash by signing Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240-million contract, and have also been linked to Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta on the trade front.

Consider that the reigning World Series champs also signed closer Edwin Diaz and may not be done improving their roster this offseason.

This has resulted in their 2026 World Series odds reaching one of the shortest preseason numbers in recent history. Below, we'll look at those odds and compare them to similar teams that breathed the same rarefied air.

2026 World Series odds

Crown the Dodgers, already

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the offseason at +350 to win the 2026 World Series, according to Sports Odds History. The New York Yankees were closest at +800, and every other team was +1200 or longer.

Things haven't changed drastically since then, for the most part. The Yankees are +850, and the Seattle Mariners are now third on the board at +1200.

However, the Dodgers' odds have shrunk to between +240 (DraftKings, bet365) and +220 (FanDuel), giving them an implied probability of around 29-31% to win a third consecutive Fall Classic. While this is rare, it's not unheard of, and even Los Angeles itself has been here before. Just last winter, the Dodgers went from +400 after winning the 2024 World Series to +350 in December and later +240 by the end of March.

Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott were their belwether free-agent acquisitions, and this offseason's crop certainly outclasses that, so another trip to the World Series certainly seems a given, particularly for L.A. fans and the "Dodgers are ruining baseball" contingent.

Hold your horses!

While it's true the Dodgers won the World Series, they were pushed to the brink by the Toronto Blue Jays over seven games and even needed a comeback victory to take Game 7.

The Dodgers also saw their World Series odds drop to +350 in September and +500 at the onset of the postseason. The supposed behemoths went 35-30 in the second half, and players like Mookie Betts played below their usual standard. The rotation battled injuries, the bullpen was a real weakness into October, and the outfield was a revolving door. The Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker additions shore some of those areas up, but is it premature to consider the World Series all wrapped up in January?

It should. Despite the Dodgers ultimately going wire-to-wire despite some concerns popping up along the way, it's been a minute since we've seen a preseason favorite at +300 or shorter.

The 2005 and 2007 Yankees each peaked at +300 before Opening Day. Neither won the World Series.

And to those decrying the Dodgers' practices as detrimental to the sheer fabric of America's Pastime, the Yankees were +260 or shorter every preseason from 1999 through 2004. While New York won the first two, it didn't claim another title until 2009.

The Yankees did win the 1998 World Series, but they were +600 to do so on April 1. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves were +200 and lost to the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. 

The Braves were also shorter than +300 in the 1993 preseason, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.

Ultimately, dating back to 1990, 14 teams have had preseason odds at +300 or shorter, and three have gone on to win the World Series. So while itmay be frustrating as a non-Dodgers fan to watch Los Angeles pluck up even more top names while flexing financial fortitude, it doesn't always work out. In fact, it may be more likely that it doesn't. 

That's not to say I'd suggest wagering against them! Until a different team can rise and prove it's got what it takes, the Dodgers are clearly the class of MLB entering the 2026 regular season.

World Series winners' preseason odds

Let's look back at where World Series winners were in the odds board during the preseason.

Year	Winning team	Preseason odds
2025	Dodgers	+240
2024	Dodgers	+350
2023	Rangers	+5000
2022	Astros	+1000
2021	Braves	+1000
2020	Dodgers	+385
2019	Nationals	+1600
2018	Red Sox	+1150
2017	Astros	+1175
2016	Cubs	+660
2015	Royals	+3300
2014	Giants	+2500
2013	Red Sox	+2800
2012	Giants	+2000
2011	Cardinals	+2500
2010	Giants	+2500
2009	Yankees	+500
2008	Phillies	+2000
2007	Red Sox	+700
2006	Cardinals	+700
2005	White Sox	+2200
2004	Red Sox	+400
2003	Marlins	+7500
2002	Angels	+4000
2001	Diamondbacks	+1000
2000	Yankees	+250
1999	Yankees	+200
1998	Yankees	+600
1997	Marlins	+1000
1996	Yankees	+700
1995	Braves	+400
1993	Blue Jays	+600
1992	Blue Jays	+700
1991	Twins	+8000
1990	Reds	+1600

Odds courtesy Sports Odds History

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Mets have signed reliever Luis García to a one-year deal, according to Joel Sherman. The deal is pending a physical and is reportedly worth $1.75 million, with the right-hander able to earn $1.25 million in incentives.

García, who turns 39 later this month, split last season between the Dodgers, Nationals, and Angels and pitched to a 3.42 ERA, a 3.28 FIP, and a 1.46 WHIP, with 48 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. He finished the year with a 0.8 bWAR and posted a career-best 0.3 HR/9 while striking out 8.7 batters and walking 4.2 batters per nine innings. For his career, he owns a 4.07 ERA, a 3.92 FIP, and a 1.42 WHIP, and has struck out 547 batters in 583 1/3 innings. The Mets will be his ninth team, as he has previously suited up for the Phillies, Padres, Cardinals, Red Sox, and Rangers, in addition to the three clubs that he played for last season.

García is the latest addition to a revamped relief corps for the Mets, joining Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. In addition, A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley will be returning following injury-shortened seasons in 2025, which gives Carlos Mendoza a pretty good group of relievers to rely upon. The remaining spots, pending any additional bullpen moves this winter, will belong to guys like Huascar Brazobán, Richard Lovelady, and a prospects like Dylan Ross.

The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back a legend, but not in the way that many thought it might happen. The team has announced they have hired Yadier Molina as a Special Assistant to President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom.

Here’s the statement shared by the St. Louis Cardinals today about Yadi’s return to the team:

“We are happy to welcome Yadi back to the Cardinals organization,” stated Bloom. “He is an elite competitor, a consistent winner, and one of the greatest ever at his position, and we look forward to many contributions during his visits with us in this new role, both in and out of uniform. Yadi will provide input on our catching program, will advise our staff on catching and game planning strategy, and will give me and our front office valuable perspective from his unique vantage point. Perhaps most important, he will help us nurture in our players the high standards, attention to detail, and championship mindset that are so critical to winning.”

There’s no need to document Yadi Molina’s many career accomplishments. As St. Louis Cardinals fans, most of us can recite them by memory without Google. The big question that immediately comes to my mind is how involved will Yadi really be with the Cardinals. You likely recall back in December of 2023, Yadi was hired by then President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak as a special assistant, but few of us really saw much of Yadi or his involvement. Based on the behavior of the new St. Louis Cardinals front office, I have confidence that we’ll see a more tangible result from Yadi Molina being a part of the team again. Or, at least that is my huge hope.

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He was a left-handed hitting outfielder.
They were a Bronx-based baseball team.
Can I make it any more obvious?

The offseason began with Cody Bellinger exercising his opt-out and hitting the free agent market a year early, eager to take advantage of arguably his best season since he won the 2019 National League MVP. From the beginning, though, it seemed inevitable that he would return to the Bronx and continue to don the same uniform his father wore. Bellinger hyped up the organization. The front office hyped up the player. Like two high school students who broke up due to circumstances but still clearly had a thing for each other, it seemed inevitable that the two would get back together once the dust cleared.

Well, it took long enough. After three months of Scott Boras looking at Cashman, and Cashman looking at Bellinger, the outfielder finally blinked, signing a still-generous, five-year deal worth $162.5 million. And the crowd went wild.

Oh, yeah, the crowd didn’t go wild because it’s Bellinger. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, think he’s a solid player, and am glad he’s back. But, much like these two commenters (and many others), I’m simply happy that I won’t be writing up any more Around the Empire posts trying to come up with yet another pun saying that the Yankees are still daring Bellinger to accept their contract.

When it came to the deal itself, our lovely PSA comments’ section could be broken down into three categories. First up, we have the “We’re a better team with him, so I’m happy he’s back” group, who mostly expressed satisfaction — but perhaps not the overenthusiastic excitement that would have followed, say, a Kyle Tucker signing.

Others, however, were not quite as thrilled with the contract, arguing that he does not move the needle enough in what is expected to be a viciously tight American League East in 2026.

Still others, in classic Pinstripe Alley fashion, have already put Bellinger in the rearview mirror and have begun to ask the Bartletian question, “What’s next?”

Oh, and one commenter directly expressed joy that Scott Boras failed to get his client a seven-year deal, although I argue with their notion that Boras rarely loses these days. See, for example: Gerrit Cole’s opt-out last winter, Jordan Montgomery’s failed free agent market, Alex Bregman’s free agency last year, Carlos Correa’s free agency a few years back; basically, anybody not at the extreme top of the market has had a more difficult free agency that they anticipated.

And so, after all this, I return the question to you, dear readers. What are your thoughts on the Yankees’ decision to finally get down on one knee and ask Bellinger to be their left fielder for 2026 — or perhaps, more accurately, on Bellinger finally saying yes?

Vote in our poll, and let us know your thoughts in the comments’ section below!