Cody Bellinger’s real strength isn’t just his bat; it’s his versatility. And that’s precisely why keeping him in the Bronx could require an overpay, even for the Yankees. He’s entering his age-30 season, so it’s no surprise his market is drawing comparisons to Kris Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million deal. If the Yankees want to keep a lefty slugger whose swing is built for their ballpark, they’ll have to beat out the Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, and Tigers. But there’s one team in particular that should make them the most uneasy.

We were already told a month ago not to be surprised if the Mets make a serious push for Bellinger in free agency. The Mets and owner Steve Cohen have the kind of deep pockets that can make things interesting. Bellinger’s versatility makes him an easy fit, whether it’s in center field or at first base if Pete Alonso leaves.

Even if Alonso stays, the Mets could still make a run at Bellinger to tighten up their defense, improve run prevention, and add another reliable bat to the lineup.

Bellinger could slide into center or left field. That would likely move Brandon Nimmo into a DH role. And with the president of baseball operations, David Stearns, saying that top prospect Carson Benge will compete for the center field job in spring training, that could also shift Bellinger to left and Nimmo to DH.

Bellinger, now 30, is expected to draw the strongest free-agent market of his career this winter. Coming off a fantastic first year with the Yankees, he had hit .272/.334/.480 with an .814 OPS, 29 homers, and 98 RBI across 152 games.

He previously landed a three-year, $80 million deal with the Cubs before being traded to the Yankees last offseason. After putting together a strong 2025 season with the Yankees, he opted out once the year ended.

For the Yankees, re-signing Bellinger is the No. 1 priority. For the Mets, improving their run prevention is at the top of the list. Adding Bellinger would immediately help them in that department thanks to his standout defense.

The only real challenge for the Mets in adding him is that it would make their lineup very left-handed heavy.

That’s why the ideal scenario would be to sign Bellinger and keep Alonso. They would need their big right-handed power bat and franchise home run leader to maintain balance. However, there’s a chance that Alonso could sign with an AL club.

Mets’ Pete Alonso is projected to sign a massive 3-year, $100 million deal

The Mets missed the postseason this year. They are now at risk of losing Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, and several others in free agency. They can’t afford to watch both of their stars walk to other contenders.

Alonso, in particular, is coming off a monster season and is expected to chase a major contract on the open market.

It was recently predicted that Alonso could land a massive three-year, $100 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. It was said to be the most likely destination for the slugger.

The Red Sox’s search for a first baseman even pushed them to try Rafael Devers at the position last year.

However, that experiment didn’t pan out. They still need power at the corner infield spots, especially if Bregman leaves in free agency.

Pete Alonso doesn’t bring much besides power, but he’s one of the best home run hitters in the game. He’s hit 30-plus homers in six of his seven MLB seasons and is coming off a career year in batting average at .272.

Pete Alonso would be a significant upgrade for the Red Sox at first base. Adding a power hitter like him would be a massive boost for the Red Sox lineup and a big step toward closing the gap in the AL East.