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The Mets have signed right-handed reliever Luis Garcia to a one-year contract.

The club announced the deal, adding that infielder Tsung-Che Cheng has been designated for assignment.

The 38-year-old Garcia split last season between the Dodgers, Nationals, and Angels, posting a 3.42 ERA (3.28 FIP) and 1.46 WHIP while striking out 48 batters over 55.1 innings (58 appearances).

During his 13-year career, which has also included stints with the Phillies, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, and Red Sox, Garcia has a 4.07 ERA (3.92 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP in 583.1 innings spanning 603 games.

Garcia has been very good when it comes to keeping the ball in the park, with a career HR/9 rate of 0.8. That rate was a microscopic 0.3 in 2025 as he allowed just two home runs. 

With Garcia in tow, he figures to be part of a relief corps that features Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in the back end. The bullpen is also expected to include A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley -- though the start of Minter's season could be a bit delayed following lat surgery this past May.

Huascar Brazoban will also be in the bullpen mix, along with hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert.

Other relievers who could compete for roles include Jonathan Pintaro (who made his big league debut last season and recently transitioned to relief), Adbert Alzolay (who is on a two-year minor league deal and missed the 2025 season), Richard Lovelady, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.

At Citi Field this afternoon, the Mets formally introduced their new third baseman, Bo Bichette, to the media. Donning a #19 jersey, Bichette addressed the media alongside Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and two of Bichette’s representatives.

Stearns, in his introductory remarks, called Bichette “one of the most complete right-handed batters in our sport,” as well as praising his baseball aptitude, and his intense desire to win. Stearns said that Bichette made it clear that his focus was “about winning, and our objectives [are] very well aligned there.”

When Bichette took the microphone, he thanked Stearns, Steve and Alex Cohen, and the entire Mets organization for making this happen. “It was very obvious that I wanted to be a Met,” said Bichette. “The organization is looking to win every year and has the opportunity to win every year.” Bichette also praised the roster and their abilities and desire to win.

Bichette didn’t miss the opportunity to get some cheap pop saying that New York was “maybe the best city in the world” and that Mets fans are “some of the best fans in the world,” and that playing in front of these fans is a “pretty cool opportunity.” A number of times Bichette stated that he is “excited to be here and excited to be a Met.”

When asked about the transition to third base and his openness to a position change, Bichette said that he was open to “doing anything if I felt like it was the place I needed to be, and it became very clear that I wanted to be a Met.” Bichette was asked about his relationship with new Met Marcus Semien, and he said that while it was not the reason he signed with the Mets, he looked forward to playing with Semien again.

Jon Heyman asked Bichette about the opt-outs in his contract and whether or not this could be looked at as a one-year deal. Bichette’s agent Greg Genske answered the question for him, “Bo had his choice of long term deals, short term deals, and deals with opt-outs. The important thing is to know that he’s committed to being here and committing to the team…Certainly it was important that we reserve optionality, but his commitment is to the Mets, his desire is to be here and compete for championships here.”

Bichette expressed his desire to be ‘the absolute toughest at bat every time I come to the plate” and talked about how his father, former MLB All-Star Dante Bichette, has drilled in him the importance of driving in runs from a young age.

In a conversation on SNY with Steve Gelbs after the general presser, Bichette mentioned how conversations between the Mets and his camp started at the beginning of the offseason and, again, praised the Mets, their stadium, and their fans. “This is one of my favorite stadiums [to play in]…[I’m excited to play in front of] unbelievable fans that hold you to a high standard.”

After the press conference, Steve Gelbs caught up with David Stearns, who did not have any public questions addressed to him during the conference. Gelbs asked about his approach to bringing in players that make more contact and Stearns pushed back against that slightly, saying that “contact wasn’t the priority per se,” but that they wanted a lineup that top to bottom took competitive at-bats. Stearns pointed to the players that were already on board with the Mets, the new additions, and the young players coming up as all giving the Mets those types of at-bats.

When asked about Bichette’s ability to hit with runners in scoring position, Stearns cited that while there’s not a lot of data to back up the underlying skills that allow for that success, there is a ‘skill in regulating yourself” in order to be more calm and patient in those spots, and that Bichette clearly excels at that part of the game.

In terms of Bichette and Jorge Polanco both being asked to switch positions, Stearns was honest but bullish on the proposition of having “four shortstops on the dirt some days.” He said that there will be “learning moments as they learn the intricacies” of their new positions, but that he believes that the players in question know the game well and have both the aptitude and the work ethic to make the transitions happen.

When asked about the newest Met, Luis Robert Jr., Stearns said that when you look under the hood at Robert’s skills, he still possesses everything that made him an elite player a few years ago. He said that when you see those skills “you want that guy in your organization” and that the team will do all it can to get the best out of Robert and cited the change of scenery may be very good for him.

Stearns then said that while he won’t stop looking, he feels good about the offensive side of the team at this point in the offseason, but that ‘unexpected things’ tend to happen at this point in the season, so he would not rule out additional offensive additions while reiterating how happy he is with that part of the team.

The starting rotation is another story, as Stearns stated that it is ‘[his] preference’ to add a starting pitcher. The team remains ‘engaged on a number of different fronts in that market’ and stated how there’s still plenty of time to make a move on that front.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the induction of two new members into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night: Carlos Beltrán and Andrew Jones. For the former, it was the fourth ballot he had appeared on before getting the nod, while the latter took nine tries to reach baseball immortality.

Funny enough, the two players were born one day apart, with Jones coming into the world on April 23 and Beltrán bursting on the scene on April 24 back in 1977.

A total of 425 ballots were cast, making it necessary to earn at least 319 votes to get in. The 11 blank ballots received this year were the most since 2011, and the average ballot had 5.8 names checked.

Here are the full #HOF election results. pic.twitter.com/RW7zWThFA9

— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot) January 20, 2026

Next in line was Chase Utley, who was the only other former player to crack the 50% mark at 59.1% on his third ballot. Former Detroit Tiger Rick Porcello was among the first-balloters who fell short of the threshold to appear a second time, earning just two votes — both unknown.

It is worth mentioning that this year’s inductees do not come without controversy. Many remember Beltrán for his significant role in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal, and a large share of folks feel like he does not deserve to be in the Hall because of it.

Between the past and present issues of PEDs, and a myriad of other wild inconsistencies, the drama continues in Cooperstown.

So, fellow Tigers fans, what are your thoughts on this year’s ballot? Is Beltrán undeserving? Did King Felix get snubbed? Will any of the legendary dopers like Alex Rodriguez ever get in? LOL Porcello?

Let us know what you are thinking in the comments below.

It’s an exciting day for fans of San Francisco Giants prospecting. Over at Baseball America, the best top-100 list around has dropped, and for the first time in a long time, it features four Giants: Bryce Eldridge (No. 18), Josuar González (No. 30), Bo Davidson (No. 87), and Jhonny Level (No. 98). Over at There R Giants, 80-grade Giants prospect writer Roger Munter has kicked off his top-50 list, a must-read for anyone with an interest in Giants prospects. And here at McCovey Chronicles, we officially have a top 30, as we continue our community ranking of the 44 best prospects in the Giants system.

Getting us to that point — and winning in a landslide election — is left-handed pitcher Carlos De La Rosa, who makes his CPL debut as the No. 30 prospect in the system.

De La Rosa continues an exciting trend for the Giants: recent additions that strengthen the farm. He closes out the top 30, and he does so by becoming the whopping 10th player in that top 30 who has been acquired in the last six months (for those keeping count, that’s five trade acquisitions, three draft picks, one international signing, and one Rule 5 Draft selection). And that doesn’t even include Drew Gilbert, who is ineligible for the CPL after graduating late last season.

The southpaw, who turned 18 less than two months ago, came to the Giants in the Camilo Doval trade, and is already the third player from that trade to appear on the CPL. He was a late signing by the New York Yankees in the 2025 international signing period out of the Dominican Republic, and spent his debut season in the Dominican Summer League. He wasn’t a particularly heralded signing, but what he did in the DSL opened eyes.

Across 10 games (nine starts) with the Yankees and Giants DSL affiliates, De La Rosa posted just a 4.73 ERA, but his FIP was 2.30, thanks to an utterly absurd strikeout-to-walk ratio. In 32.1 innings, he punched out a staggering 51 batters, while only walking 10.

The DSL is, it goes without saying, a low-level league, but even so, the numbers jump off the page. There were 562 different pitchers who tossed at least 20 innings in the league last year, and De La Rosa was sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (14.20), 65th in walks per nine innings (2.78), and sixth in strikeout rate minus walk rate (27.9%).

De La Rosa’s fastball is his best pitch, and it sits mid-high 90s with 20 inches of induced vertical break, per Baseball America. He also has a decent slider and changeup.

As with all players in the DSL, we’ll learn a lot about where De La Rosa sits in the organization by whether or not he’s repeating the level in 2026, or pitching stateside. Hopefully it’s the latter … he’d look good fronting the Complex League rotation.

Now let’s add to the list, and we have some new names to vote on in the comment section.

The list so far

1. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
2. Josuar González — SS
3. Jhonny Level — SS
4. Bo Davidson — CF
5. Dakota Jordan — CF
6. Luis Hernandez — SS
7. Gavin Kilen — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Blade Tidwell — RHP
10. Keyner Martinez — RHP
11. Jacob Bresnahan — LHP
12. Trevor McDonald — RHP
13. Argenis Cayama — RHP
14. Luis De La Torre — LHP
15. Trevor Cohen — OF
16. Jesús Rodríguez — C
17. Parks Harber — OF/3B
18. Carlos Gutierrez — OF
19. Drew Cavanaugh — C
20. Daniel Susac — C
21. Gerelmi Maldonado — RHP
22. Josh Bostick — RHP
23. Lorenzo Meola — SS/2B
24. Will Bednar — RHP
25. Yunior Marte — RHP
26. Joe Whitman — LHP
27. Joel Peguero — RHP
28. Alberto Laroche — RHP
29. Trent Harris — RHP
30. Carlos De La Rosa — LHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 31 prospect nominees

MauiAhuna — 23.10-year old SS — .871 OPS/144 wRC+ in High-A (52 PA); .802 OPS/122 wRC+ in Low-A (168 PA); .842 OPS/108 wRC+ in ACL (54 PA)

Rayner Arias — 19.8-year old OF — .173 OPS/-42 wRC+ in Low-A (30 PA); .699 OPS/87 wRC+ in ACL (178 PA)

ReggieCrawford — 25.1-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 1.04 ERA/4.07 FIP in AAA in 2024 (8.2 IP); 4.66 ERA/4.93 FIP in AA in 2024 (9.2 IP)

Lisbel Diaz — 20.6-year old OF — .725 OPS/96 wRC+ in Low-A (561 PA)

CamMaldonado — 22.2-year old OF — .691 OPS/92 wRC+ in Low-A (71 PA)

Diego Velasquez — 22.3-year old 2B — .677 OPS/107 wRC+ in AA (566 PA)

ReidWorley — 19.6-year old RHP — yet to debut

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.

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Spring training baseball is underway, and the regular season isn't far behind.

MLB odds unsurprisingly have the Los Angeles Dodgers pegged as betting favorites to win a third straight Fall Classic at +225 or +230 after adding outfielder Kyle Tucker to an already formidable lineup. But that doesn't mean it's all wrapped up. 

Below, I examine the 2026 World Series odds and single out the Detroit Tigers as a potential dark horse to win the Fall Classic.

2026 World Series winner odds

2026 World Series odds over time

Here, we'll track how the World Series odds shift throughout the offseason, free agency, spring training, and 2026 regular season.

MLB World Series futures bets

The Los Angeles Dodgers are rightly favored to win the World Series, and you can certainly justify wagering on them at +230 or thereabouts, where they're listed. 

However, a lot can happen in a few months. Granted, even their late-season swoon didn't hurt them too much, but the Dodgers were +500 as of the Wild Card Series.

If I'm betting this market now, I'm either going big on the Dodgers or going light on a bit of a longer shot. Below, I examine the latter.

This might be the Detroit Tigers' best shot at winning the Fall Classic before the window closes a tad before re-opening. Two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is poised to enter free agency after the season, which would greatly diminish their chances going forward, even with fellow southpaw Framber Valdez anchoring the rotation.

But with Skubal and Valdez at the front of the rotation, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize providing solid innings in the middle, and veteran Justin Verlander returning home for one last shot at glory with the team that drafted him 22 years ago, the pitching side of things is promising enough to inspire confidence.

The lineup is where risk and uncertainty come into play, which is why we can get them for +2500. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Spencer Torkelson are more or less penciled in as the heart of the batting order, which is a bit wobbly. Colt Keith could take another step forward, and Gleyber Torres has a reasonably high floor, but the ceiling feels limited.

However, the Tigers have an abundance of prospects knocking on the door of the major leagues. Shortstop Kevin McGonigle and outfielder Max Clark are the two with the most promise, and they should make their debuts fairly early on. McGonigle is a candidate to crack the Opening Day roster, while Clark is likely to arrive closer to midseason.

Trey Sweeney has already had a taste, Max Anderson is probably the second baseman of Detroit's future, and Hao-Yu Lee and Jace Jung could be useful pieces from the jump.

The point is, the Tigers won't mess around with Skubal's final year. And with the AL Central still in flux, Detroit has a projected 72.6% chance of reaching the postseason — the second-best odds in the American League, behind only the Seattle Mariners at 79.1% — per FanGraphs. 

Getting to the postseason is, obviously, the first big hurdle. And if the Tigers are in the mix at the All-Star break, management will likely add at the trade deadline, so the soft spots on the roster today won't be the same in a few months.

The Mariners are +1300 to win the World Series. I'll take the value play on the Tigers at +2500, instead.

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World Series betting splits

Will revisit betting splits as more data is available for the 2026 World Series.

Past World Series winners

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series by toppling the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic seven-game series.

Here are the last 10 World Series winners, along with their opening odds.

The biggest World Series underdogs 

Below are the 10 World Series-winning teams since 1985 with the longest opening odds.

Teams with most World Series titles

The New York Yankees are the most decorated team in MLB history, and it isn't close. In addition to winning a whopping 27 titles, they've played in 41 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second all-time with 23 World Series appearances, while the St. Louis Cardinals have won the second-most championships at 11.

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Popular MLB futures markets

• MLB World Series MVP odds
• MLB Cy Young odds
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Logan Evans’ future depends on two numbers from his rookie season: 

• .529 OPS allowed on the first turn through a lineup in a game (fifth best in MLB)
• 1.022 OPS allowed on the second turn through a lineup in a game (worst in MLB)

That .493 difference was the largest such split in 2025 and one of the 20 largest splits in MLB history. Which number better reflects his true talent? 

OPS allowed isn’t the ideal measure for pitchers. I use it here as it’s the parlance of Baseball Reference, which facilitates the comparison. The next plot shows performance against this split using FIP (courtesy of Fangraphs). Here we see a less extreme split, with Evans performing closer to average on the first time through the order, while still the worst in MLB on the second.

Evans’ (relative) success on the first time through the order was thanks to an outstanding ability to limit quality of contact. He didn’t get a lot of whiffs or strikeouts, and his command was just OK. But batters simply could not square up the ball in their first look, either rolling over or getting jammed or popping up or otherwise juuuuuust missing. His .289 xwOBAcon allowed on the first time through the order was sixth in MLB.

On the second time through the order, he was awful by every metric.

The most likely explanation for this phenomenon is that sometimes bizarre splits show up in small samples; Evans accomplished this feat across just 15 starts. The safe analyst would evaluate him by his overall line: 5.05 FIP, 8% K-BB, 1.44 HR/9, -0.1 fWAR. That’s a bottom 20% starting pitcher line posted by a seventh-string, 12th rounder with poor stuff. That’s, frankly, what we should expect from Evans.

Still, it’s hard to ignore that for nine batters a night, Evans was a good or even great pitcher. We care about this split because it’s a possible clue towards something less measurable, something fundamental. We know a lot of pitching is Stuff, but we’re increasingly aware a lot of pitching is other stuff. Batters gain an advantage the more they see a pitcher in a game, so for a pitcher to perform notably in the early or late parts of an outing, that could say something about those less measurable abilities. And for a pitcher at the extremes — Evans certainly is — perhaps it says something about the nature of those abilities themselves. What might we learn about pitching by studying Logan Evans? What might we learn about humanity?

God I love small samples.

Evans in his rookie season showcased a deep, six-pitch repertoire. What he lacked in speed and spin, he made up for in sheer quantity. He could make the ball go in every conceivable direction at release, and batters had a tough time guessing where and when to swing.

We can see that, especially to lefties, Evans mixed his repertoire evenly and unpredictably. Batters had to respect that any one of six pitches might show up, preventing them from teeing off on something specific.

That approach worked on the first time through the order, and most of his pitches were effective against either handedness. But all his pitches got measurably worse across the board once the lineup turned over.

I’m not sure why this was the case. I appreciate that certain skills might be more or less resistant to the times through the order penalty, but to go from so good to so bad is hard to wrap my head around. Perhaps this says something about the impact of movement spread, as coined by Stephen Sutton-Brown for Baseball Prospectus, or the idea that having lots of pitches moving in all directions can keep hitters off balance. Maybe that alone is enough to get through a lineup once, and then raw stuff is necessary from there? Or maybe Evans struggled to disguise (or tunnel) his pitches, as Timothy Jackson recently pointed out for Baseball Prospectus; once they could identify each of his pitches, the jig was up.

Evans enters Spring Training 2026 as depth. His exact proximity to the starting rotation is unclear, whether he’ll continue to serve as second alternate or if he’ll leapfrog Emerson Hancock’s fourth attempt. We only know that opportunity relies on something going wrong, and that something will eventually go wrong. The Mariners are coming off a season where four starting pitchers missed time with some type of injury; one of them still has bone spurs. Evans will pitch in MLB at some point this year.

I’m fascinated to see what if any changes he makes. The Mariners know all that I’ve written here. They’ve seen his splits, they’ve measured his arsenal, and they’ve surely set forth a Plan. Maybe we’ll see him add a pitch, or remove a pitch, or overhaul a pitch, or shift his aim, or adjust his sequencing — something in an attempt to stump batters just a bit longer. It’s worth following for the sake of Evans’ career and the Mariners’ success, but it could also provide a glimpse into the minds of one of the sharper collections of pitching thinkers out there. This is a challenge that justifies our modern Pitching Bureaucracy. This is where organization reputations are earned.

I don’t think anyone really expected another outcome for Cody Bellinger. Did you?

Here’s the deal that returns Bellinger to the Bronx:

Cody Bellinger's deal with the Yankees is for five years and $162.5 million, sources tell ESPN. There are opt-outs after the second and third season, a $20M signing bonus and a full no-trade clause.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2026

Bellinger’s swing seems well-suited for Yankee Stadium, and that shows in his splits from 2025.

Home: .302/.365/.544 with 18 home runs in 298 at-bats
Away: .241/.301/.414 with 11 home runs in 290 at-bats

So yeah. Outside of Yankee Stadium, that’s not a hitter who would rate such a contract.

You likely recall that Bellinger had a three-homer game against the Cubs last year, and would have had a fourth if not for this great catch by Kyle Tucker [VIDEO].

(NOTE: This does not suggest I wish the Cubs had re-signed Tucker. It’s just a great play worth noting.)

Anyway, while Bellinger has some opt-outs in this deal, my feeling is that he’ll stay with the Yankees for the five-year term. As noted, he’s a good fit there and the Yankees do, generally, contend every year.

If you’re interested in seeing him play at Wrigley, the Yankees will visit the Cubs for a three-game series July 31-Aug. 1-2. Should be a hot ticket — and not just to see Bellinger.

After a protracted staring contest, the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger have finally reunited.

Bellinger and the Yankees agreed to terms on a five-year, $162.5 million deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet finalized.

The agreement comes after an impasse on the length of contract: Bellinger was aiming for a seven-year commitment, but the Yankees hoped to stick to a five-year deal for the 30-year-old outfielder/first baseman. After potential landing spots were largely short-circuited by the signings of Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette last week, Bellinger met the Yankees' ask for length of contract, while ensuring a $32.5 million annual salary - highest in Bellinger's career.

Bellinger has experienced a career resurgence after injury-plagued 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, Bellinger thrived with both the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, smacking 73 homers and posting a cumulative 12.1 WAR over the last three campaigns.

Here's everything to know about Bellinger's new deal.

Cody Bellinger contract details

Bellinger agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million deal. The contract contains opt-out clauses after the second and third years, but they move back a year if the 2027 season is canceled due to a lockout. Bellinger receives a $20 million signing bonus and $32.5 million each of the first two seasons, guaranteeing him $85 million before his first opt-out.

Cody Bellinger 2025 stats

Bellinger experienced one of his best seasons in 2025, finishing 14th in AL MVP voting in his lone season with the New York Yankees. His 29 home runs mark the third-most he's hit in a season, and his best mark since belting 47 in his MVP season in 2019.

Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 across 152 games with New York, accumulating 5.1 WAR in 2025, a stellar mark and his most since 2019. Bellinger also played a tremendous right field in pinstripes, racking up eight Defensive Runs Saved at the position in just 416 innings.

Bellinger has played in at least 130 games in each of the last four seasons, showing a durability after his stint with the Dodgers ended after both shoulder surgery and a lower-leg injury dampened his final two seasons.

Contributing: Bob Nightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cody Bellinger contract with Yankees: What we know

As soon as outfielder Cody Bellinger decided to exercise his opt-out in early November and hit free agency again this offseason, it seemed like he and the Yankees would find their way back to each other. Both sides were extremely complimentary about each other and New York in particular was active in talking to the media about their desire to retain him, even when seemingly superior outfield options like Kyle Tucker were also available on the market. Because Bellinger’s agent is Scott Boras, however, negotiations took a very long time as Boras tried to find the best possible deal for his player, and there were talks of him negotiating with the Mets and Blue Jays as well.

Two and a half months later, the sides have finally come together, not long after Tucker signed with the Dodgers and the Mets picked up Luis Robert Jr. via trade. The official terms are below, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who broke the signing. It’s a five-year contract with some particular details:

Cody Bellinger's deal with the Yankees is for five years and $162.5 million, sources tell ESPN. There are opt-outs after the second and third season, a $20M signing bonus and a full no-trade clause.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2026

If he wants, Bellinger, will be able to test the market again after the 2027 and 2027 campaigns. There are no deferrals. Boras and Bellinger had been angling for six or seven years, but the Yankees stuck to their guns on the five-year offer with opt-outs.

Is this a lot of money for someone who wasn’t even an All-Star in 2025? Sure, but the Yankees bleed money, they absolutely needed to keep Bellinger in this offense given the alternatives, and they were able to avoid a longer-term commitment that has burned them in the past with similar players like DJ LeMahieu. Bellinger was quite productive in 2025 regardless of his specific honors (he did make the All-MLB Second Team), hitting .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers—his most since his MVP year in 2019—and a 125 wRC+. This is a win-now move for a team that still has Aaron Judge in his scalding-hot prime and needs to win now, though they could still use another starting pitcher. Bellinger’s lefty swing was well-suited for Yankee Stadium, he covered the tricky left field with aplomb, he could shift back to center next year if Trent Grisham departs, he can man first as well in a pinch, and he’ll be able to keep calling the place where his father once played home for likely the rest of the decade.

We’ll have more to come soon at Pinstripe Alley. In the meantime, welcome back Cody!

Cody Bellinger is returning to the Bronx.

After opting out of his contract following the end of the 2025 season, the Yankees and Bellinger have agreed to a new five-year, $162.5 million contract, per multiple reports.

The deal reportedly has opt-outs after 2027 and 2028, along with a $20 million signing bonus and a full no-trade clause.

The Yankees acquired Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs — along with $5 million in cash considerations — in December 2024 for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet and the former NL MVP became arguably the team's second-best hitter this past season. 

The 30-year-old slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 152 regular season games this year. He was a Silver Slugger finalist and played phenomenal defense in the outfield. 

Bellinger's play helped the Yankees make it back to the postseason, although the playoffs ended in the ALDS for New York. 

Re-signing Bellinger was a major priority for the Yankees, who needed to fill out their outfield around Aaron Judge. Even with Trent Grisham returning on the qualifying offer, the Yankees still needed more help.

And now they keep a powerful left-handed bat in the middle of their lineup.

"I had an unbelievable time putting on this uniform. Yankee Stadium, the fans, the organization, the culture that these guys have created in this locker room," Bellinger said after last season. "It really is special. It's such a fun group, a fun group to be a part of. We came up short and that part stinks for sure because we had a really really good group here."