Insider: Cody Bellinger Sweepstakes A Two-Team Race

Former MVP and resurgent star Cody Bellinger is one of the biggest names in free agency this winter, and while a few teams have been linked to him thus far, a new report from MLB Insider Jon Heyman pegs two big-market teams as the clear frontrunners, and it'll come down to this two-team race:

Cody Bellinger should be at the center of a big-market battle between the incumbent Cubs (who he liked very much) and the Yankees, who need at least one outfielder and maybe two.

The Chicago Cubs gave Bellinger the chance to redeem himself this past season after three dreadful years following his 2019 MVP season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, so he definitely feels connected to them. 

His agent, Scott Boras, has emphatically blamed an injury on Bellinger's three straight woeful seasons, and Belli proved this year in the Windy City that he was healthy and ready to rake. He hit .307, a career-best mark, and his .881 OPS was his best since that MVP year. 

He loved it at Wrigley, it's a team on the rise, and there's every reason to believe the Cubs will spend the money to try to retain him, and that he'd be open to it. 

The New York Yankees are desperate to get Aaron Judge some help in their offensively-challenged lineup, and in the outfield, particularly in center. 

Bellinger would address both needs for the Bronx Bombers, while providing him with the best lineup protection (Judge) that money can buy. 

Harrison Bader came into the season as the expected solution in center for the Yanks, but by the end of August, they would waive him. Also, the past few years, they've cycled the likes of Aaron Hicks and an aging Brett Gardner through centerfield, obviously exposing their desperate need to fill that position. 

Expect them to throw the Steinbrenner vault at Bellinger. 

Photo: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports