Yankees Re-Sign Cody Bellinger, Creating Fantasy Baseball Winners and Losers

Another big MLB transaction just went down, with Cody Bellinger re-signing with the Yankees. Let's discuss what that move means in the real world and for fantasy baseball.

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Bellinger's Deal and Stats

Bellinger re-upped with New York for five years and $162.5 million.

There are reportedly opt-outs after the second and third seasons, plus a $20 million signing bonus and a full no-trade clause.

Bellinger spent the 2025 season with the Yankees, playing in 152 games. He posted a .272 average and .334 on-base percentage. Bellinger has a career .261 average and .334 OBP over nine years with the Dodgers, Cubs and Yankees.

Among his 160 hits last season, Bellinger had 29 home runs and 25 doubles, plus five triples. Bellinger added 98 RBIs, 89 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 57 walks and struck out just 90 times.

He's had some ups and downs over his career, but looks to be pretty comfortable in New York. What ups his fantasy value some more is that he can play any outfield spot, and probably is still eligible at first base in a good amount of leagues.

Bellinger's Outlook

Bellinger will slot into the heart of the Yankees' lineup somewhere, putting him in a great spot to put up big numbers. 

New York has Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge as locked-in starting outfielders, but Bellinger should fill the third spot over Jasson Dominguez. Ben Rice looks like he'll handle first base for most days in the 2026 season, and Giancarlo Stanton is the designated hitter.

Bellinger is going to start just about every game, and hitting anywhere in that lineup is a plus for his fantasy outlook.

You can use last year's numbers as a reference and expect at least something similar if he plays close to a full season. At 30 years old, it's maybe more likely that his numbers start to fade then improve, but I wouldn't be shocked if Bellinger improves on his marks from last year.

He'll be a daily fantasy starter, and a pretty high-end draft pick. If he can slot in at first base and all three outfield slots, he'll be a desirable fantasy asset, so keep him in mind going into your fantasy drafts.

Yankees' Outlook

The Yankees get a boost in the real world from Bellinger re-signing with the team. New York should be in the hunt for the AL title again, as long as it isn't ravished by injuries.

I wrote about a stacked Boston pitching staff last week. New York has the kind of lineup that can put up runs against even the best staffs out there.

Grisham, Judge, Rice and Stanton all get fantasy boosts with the return of Bellinger. Even Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon and others could benefit from Bellinger being back in the heart of the team's lineup.

It lengthens the lineup and helps protect Judge, forcing teams to pitch to everyone. If the Yanks' offense can stay healthy, they could boast one of the league's top offenses again.

The only player the re-signing really hurts is Dominguez. The once-heralded prospect hasn't been given a clear path to playing time, unless there's been injuries. Those could still happen, but Dominguez's fantasy outlook takes a massive hit from Bellinger returning.

I wonder if New York might consider moving Dominguez, as he still has some good value, and is cheap. Grisham is on a one-year deal though, so I also understand holding Dominguez in case Grisham leaves after the 2026 season, or falls off from a good 2025 showing.

The move also hurts prospect Spencer Jones, who is still looking to make his MLB debut. The Yankees' No. 4 prospect has great hitting marks in the minor leagues, and really has nothing left to prove in the minors.

It could mean the Yankees choose to move him in a trade, or that a big leaguer I mentioned earlier is moved to clear a spot for Jones. 

New York loved re-signing Bellinger, but it also created a surplus of outfielders. There's five guys worthy of big league spots, and only three are likely getting in the lineup at this point. I'll be interested to see what other moves New York makes before the season, as I think there's a few more coming soon.