The New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres continue talks regarding a possible deal that would send slugger Juan Soto to New York, but the Yankees have also remained engaged with the representatives for free agent center fielder Cody Bellinger, according to Brandon Kuty of The Athletic:
“As for Bellinger, the Yankees have so far found his asking price a bit steep, the source said, though it’s unclear exactly how much he wants, and high prices are the norm this early in the offseason. Bellinger is also repped by Boras. The Yankees, however, are said to still be plenty interested in the 28-year-old.
Bellinger is coming off a big bounce-back year in which he hit .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs and a 133 OPS+ for the Cubs, landing 10th in the National League MVP vote. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year winner and the 2019 NL MVP with the Dodgers, Bellinger had down years in 2021 and 2022, leading to L.A. non-tendering him.”
The Yankees and San Diego have exchanged names in a potential Soto deal, but no trade is imminent.
The Padres have a high an understandably high asking price on Soto. However, set to hit free agency after the 2024 season, acquiring teams may not be willing to give up a king's ransom for the slugger. San Diego is looking at New York's top prospects/young MLB players. New York will look to talk them down to a deal that makes sense for both sides.
The Yankees do have the farm system necessary to pull off a trade. New York currently has five prospects inside the top 100, via MLB Pipeline. It just comes down to who the Yankees are willing to trade.
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