{"id":115633,"date":"2025-10-30T08:47:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=115633"},"modified":"2025-10-30T08:52:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T08:52:10","slug":"big-apple-power-grab-reports-say-the-mets-are-suddenly-a-legit-contender-to-snatch-the-yankees-projected-168m-slugger-front-office-phones-buzzing-like-playoff-fireworks-and-now-the-whole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=115633","title":{"rendered":"BIG APPLE POWER GRAB: Reports say the Mets are suddenly a legit contender to snatch the Yankees\u2019 projected $168M slugger, front-office phones buzzing like playoff fireworks, and now the whole league is watching to see if Queens really dares to rob the Bronx\u2026ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2139559595-e1751905681362.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2139559595-e1751905681362.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2139559595-e1751905681362.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2139559595-e1751905681362.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Mets Named 'Legitimate Contender' to Poach Yankees Projected $168M Slugger\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>Steve Cohen looks on during the first half between the New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The New York Yankees have multiple players set to hit the free agency market this winter, with Cody Bellinger arguably being the most important. Bellinger was traded to the Yankees by the Chicago Cubs last winter and had a great season in New York. He finished the year hitting .272 with 29 home runs, 98 RBIs, and 160 hits.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019ll be intriguing to see the type of market he has or where he could land if the Yankees don\u2019t want to give him the money he\u2019s looking for, but according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, it\u2019s possible that the New York Mets could be a landing spot. He predicted that Bellinger would land a six-year, $160 million deal, which might be too much for the Yankees to hand out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBellinger\u2019s ability to play above-average defense at all three outfield positions and first base increases his free-agent worth, although it looks like he\u2019s found a home in left field. He has been a perfect fit for the Yankees, where playing half his games at Yankee Stadium with the short porch in right helped him hit 29 home runs while slashing .272\/.334\/.480 (he had a .909 OPS at Yankee Stadium and a .715 OPS at every other park). I think he\u2019ll opt out of his contract and try to get the Yankees to give him a longer deal\u2026 Best team fits: Yankees, Mets, Astros, Padres, Guardians, Royals, Angels, Mariners. Contract prediction: 6-years, $168 million,\u201d he wrote .<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Does Cody Bellinger Fit the Mets?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to a report from MLB.com\u2019s Mark Feinsand, the New York Mets are a legitimate suitor for Bellinger\u2019s services. With their need for an outfielder and possibly losing Pete Alonso at first base, Bellinger could fill either of those roles. If it happened, this would be another player the Mets have poached from the New York Yankees over the past few years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Mets stand out as a legitimate contender for Bellinger, who could play center field in Queens, or potentially replace fellow free agent (and Scott Boras client) Pete Alonso at first base if he signs elsewhere. The Mets swiped the Yankees\u2019 left fielder a year ago when they signed Soto, so why not do it again? The local tabloids would certainly appreciate the back-page content,\u201d he wrote .<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Will the Yankees Let Cody Bellinger Walk?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Some New York Yankees fans would rather have the team land Kyle Tucker, which might not be the worst idea. On the surface, Tucker is a better player than Bellinger at this moment, but he\u2019s also going to come at a much higher price tag.<\/p>\n<p>According to the latest report from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, there are also voices in the Yankees organization who prefer Bellinger over Tucker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKyle Tucker\u2019s name figures to be mentioned frequently in media reports, and he\u2019d also be an appealing fit (with the Yankees), but there are voices within the organization who prefer Bellinger\u2019s defensive versatility,\u201d Hoch wrote .<\/p>\n<p>If the Yankees want Bellinger back and he enjoyed his time in New York, it seems like an obvious match. However, if the Yankees aren\u2019t willing to give him what he\u2019s looking for and he wants to stay in New York, that\u2019s when the New York Mets could easily come into play.<\/p>\n<p>Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Mets are reportedly a legitimate contender to poach the New York Yankees\u2019 projected $168 million slugger in a potential move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":115634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BIG APPLE POWER GRAB: Reports say the Mets are suddenly a legit contender to snatch the Yankees\u2019 projected $168M slugger, front-office phones buzzing like playoff fireworks, and now the whole league is watching to see if Queens really dares to rob the Bronx\u2026ll - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=115633\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BIG APPLE POWER GRAB: Reports say the Mets are suddenly a legit contender to snatch the Yankees\u2019 projected $168M slugger, front-office phones buzzing like playoff fireworks, and now the whole league is watching to see if Queens really dares to rob the Bronx\u2026ll - 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