LAS VEGAS — The only thing missing was Tom Cruise joining Scott Boras in front of the microphones, or the Top Gun Anthem blaring in the background.
But that is the kind of star power (and theme) that the superagent leaned into Wednesday when speaking about his free-agent client, Cody Bellinger, who is expected to be the Yankees’ top priority this offseason.
Boras called the Yankees “an ideal fit” for both sides during Bellinger’s first (and possibly only) season in The Bronx this year, though he made it clear that there will be a high price to pay for the 30-year-old.
“Really, he’s the only five-tool free-agent outfielder,” Boras said in his annual scrum during the general managers meetings at The Cosmopolitan as he snuck in nicknames from the famed Cruise flick.
“When you look at ’25, I’d say among all the free-agent outfielders, he was the top gun of the class. He was defensively a versatile viper in the outfield, playing both first base and all three outfield positions. He was kind of, offensively, a middle-of-the-lineup merlin in the sense that he provided power and production. The other thing about Belli is unique for a guy his age, under 30: He’s played in all three markets — LA, Chicago, New York. So really, in many ways, he’s an urban maverick, without a doubt.”
Fellow outfielder Kyle Tucker is viewed as the top free agent of the class this offseason, but Bellinger may not be far behind.
Boras said he has already had discussions with the Yankees about Bellinger after a season in which the left-handed hitter batted .272 with a .813 OPS and 29 home runs, then opted out of the final year and $25 million left on his contract.
By all accounts, Bellinger enjoyed his time in New York after being acquired in a salary dump from the Cubs, with Boras saying “the whole dynamic suited him and suited them.”
But there will be plenty of competition for Bellinger’s services on the free-agent market, including the Mets and possibly the Dodgers (his first team), among others.
“When you think about what he’s done in an LA market, he was Hollywood ringing for a championship and MVP,” Boras said. “He was kind of a windy city Wolfman in getting the comeback player of the year [in Chicago]. And in New York, he was a true Iceman cooling any thoughts that he couldn’t hit behind Judge and lead the Yankees to a playoff.”
“The other thing about Bellinger this year is he doesn’t have the qualifying offer. That goose is gone. When it comes to Bellinger, there’s no question that teams have a need – the need to Belli proceed.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
