MLB rumors: Yankees have Bellinger concern, Yamamoto timeline, Ohtani contract twist shut down

MLB Rumors: Yankees "concerned" about Cody Bellinger

The Yankees are interested in free agent Cody Bellinger, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. That much is hardly a surprise, as the Yankees have been pegged as Bellinger favorites for a while. That said, New York is evidently "concerned" about one statistical indicator — hard-hit rate.

Bellinger experienced a remarkable resurgence with the Chicago Cubs last season, slashing .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs in 499 at-bats (130 games). He was the main catalyst behind Chicago's postseason push after the All-Star break. While the Cubs ultimately fell short, Bellinger earned a healthy payday after signing a one-year, prove-it contract with Chicago in the aftermath of two injury-plagued, inefficient campaigns with the Dodgers.

The Yankees have deep pockets and could talk themselves into Bellinger as the perfect middle-lineup anchor next to Aaron Judge, but his 31.4 percent hard-hit rate — 10th percentile in the MLB, per Baseball Savant — is evidently a hangup for the front office.

On the other hand, Bellinger frequented the sweet spot of his bat (38.0 percent, 86th percentile) and he hardly ever struck out (15.6 percent, 87th percentile), posting a .279 batting average with two strikes. He does a great job working the count and he's extremely disciplined with his approach. Those two ghastly seasons with LA are a concern, but penalizing Bellinger for hard-hit rate when there are so many positive indicators elsewhere is a flawed process.

The Yankees are also interested in Juan Soto, per Heyman. His 55.3 hard-hit rate lands in the MLB's 99th percentile. Soto is the better player, but he would also require a liquidation of the farm system. Bellinger can be signed with cold, hard cash. Or, the Yankees can target both. Either way, Judge needs help and the Yankees need an outfielder.