NEW YORK — Cody Bellinger’s strikeout to end Game 4 of the AL Division Series on Wednesday night against the Blue Jays wasn’t just the final out of the Yankees’ season.
It was also likely the last pitch of Bellinger’s time in pinstripes.
The outfielder can opt out of the last year of his current contract this winter to seek a long-term deal in free agency before his age-30 season
Considering Bellinger posted 29 home runs, 98 RBIs and a .272/.334/.480 line, he’d be foolish not to test the open market and cash in.
“Obviously things to discuss with family and the agent and the business side of it all,” Bellinger said after the 5-2 season-ending loss at Yankee Stadium. “But tonight, I’m just gonna soak it all in and just be a part of the group one more time.”
Bellinger isn’t the only outfielder who will probably be in a different uniform on Opening Day next year.
Trent Grisham will likely hit free agency for the first time this offseason. The center fielder had a dreadful postseason at the plate — he hit a team-worst .138 (4-for-29) with a .426 OPS — but he had a career year in the regular season, swatting a personal-best 34 home runs.
Unlike other soon-to-be free agents like first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, reliever Devin Williams and Bellinger, Grisham didn’t speak to reporters following Wednesday night’s Game 4 loss.
In both cases, the Yankees would need to step up with a big offer. Bellinger has the track record going back to his days with the Dodgers, while Grisham is more of a risk, but both are deserving of multi-year deals.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone made it sound like he’d love to have both of them back next year, singling out their production throughout the year and what they brought to the clubhouse as teammates and veterans behind the scenes.
“I’m grateful to get to have managed those two guys,” Boone said. “Who knows? Hopefully, in both cases, I get to keep doing it.”
One scenario for the Yankees this offseason is to let those aging outfielders walk, giving opportunities to younger players such as Jasson Domínguez and prospect Spencer Jones to start alongside Aaron Judge in the outfield.
Domínguez was part of the Yankees’ outfield equation throughout the first few months of the regular season, but he lost all his playing time by the end of the year and throughout the playoffs because Grisham and Bellinger were playing at such a high level in the outfield. Jones finished a huge year in the minors at Triple-A. The Yankees could’ve included him in a trade deadline move this summer, but they elected to keep him in the organization, another sign that they look at him as a piece of their future.
Bellinger said Wednesday night that he could see himself coming back, but that he and his representation haven’t had any conversations with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman yet.
“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,” he said. “It really is special. It’s such a fun group, it was a fun group to be a part of. Came up short and that part stinks for sure, because we had a really, really good group here.”
It’s possible the outfielder could take less money to stay with the Yankees. Maybe he thinks they give him the best to win a title next year and beyond or maybe he’s inspired by his dad, a former Yankee. With his agent being Scott Boras, however, a team-friendly contract feels like a pipe dream.
The Yankees could present Grisham with a qualifying offer. If he accepts, he’d be taking a one-year deal worth $22 million. If he declines, he’d still be eligible to re-sign with the Yankees, but would be free to negotiate with other teams.
Attaching a qualifying offer to Grisham would change the way teams view him in free agency due to the penalties attached with signing a player who just declined a qualifying offer. The Yankees, meanwhile, would receive draft compensation if he agreed to a deal elsewhere.
While that wouldn’t be the worst outcome for the Yankees to have Grisham around for another year — lessening the pressure on both Domínguez and Jones to be the answer right away in spring training — they’d be taking a chance at that cost. Grisham has yet to prove he can sustain this level of offensive production for multiple seasons after his outburst this year. He’s also about to turn 29 and will continue to decline as a defender in center field as he gets older.
The Yankees can always explore the open market and try to reel in a big-time free agent, like Kyle Tucker, but then they really need to invest financially. Rolling with Domínguez and Jones would be the most cost-effective route while giving some of their best young prospects a legitimate look.
MORE YANKEES COVERAGE
- Yankees’ Aaron Boone isn’t getting fired – but his sorry October legacy is set in stone | Klapisch
- Yankees think they had best team and blew it losing Division Series
- Predictions for Yankees’ free agents, including Cody Bellinger
- Yankees’ Aaron Judge drops elbow injury update as offseason begins
- Every single Jersey Shore town’s sports claim to fame
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

