Yankees finally get their man, save their offseason in the process

• he Yankees signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract.
• The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, a full no-trade clause and a $20 million signing bonus.
• If Bellinger opts out after the second year of the contract, he will have earned a nifty $85 million the first two years.

The New York Yankees got their man, and yes, at their price, too.

The Yankees signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162.5 million contract Wednesday morning, two officials with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal won’t become official until Bellinger passes his physical.

The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, a full no-trade clause and a $20 million signing bonus. If Bellinger opts out after the second year of the contract, he will have earned a nifty $85 million the first two years.

The average $42.5 million salary the first two years is $500,000 higher than Bo Bichette’s three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets, that includes an opt-out after each season.

It was actually during Bichette’s news conference in New York that the Yankees and agent Scott Boras agreed to Bellinger’s deal, setting off a frenzy in New York.

The Yankees, who refused to budge off their five-year proposal, insisted they would not get into a bidding war. They believed all along that no one would outbid them and provide Bellinger the seven-year deal he was seeking.

They proved to be right.

They never believed the rumors that the Mets were in on Bellinger, and once the Mets traded Tuesday night for Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, it only confirmed their belief.

The Philadelphia Phillies offered Bichette a seven-year, $200 million contract last week, but they had no interest in pivoting to Bellinger. It was the same with the Blue Jays, who offered Kyle Tucker a 10-year, $350 million contract before he went to the Dodgers, but weren’t going to give the same deal to Bellinger.

So, the Yankees waited, and waited, tweaked their five-year, $160 million offer little by little with opt-outs, a no-trade clause and then bumped up it by $5 million, before reaching their agreement.

Really, this is a deal that made sense all along.

Bellinger loved his season in New York, and the Yankees loved him right back.

The reality is that the Yankees had to have him.

They needed someone to protect Aaron Judge in the lineup with Juan Soto’s departure a year ago.

They needed his defense, his versatility, his left-handed bat and his ability to handle the pressure of New York.

If the Yankees didn’t sign re-sign Bellinger, their offseason could have been an unmitigated disaster. They had a few backup plans, but nothing that could have come close to replacing Bellinger.

Bellinger was the ideal fit, hitting .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBI in 152 games last season. In his last three seasons, he’s accumulated a 12 WAR, hitting .281 with an .818 OPS, averaging 24.3 homers and 91 RBI a year.

He’s also still just 30 years old, just 1 1/2 years older than Tucker, which is why he was seeking at least a seven-year contract in free agency.

It was a huge signing for the Yankees, who weren’t shy in telling the world that bringing Bellinger back was their No. 1 priority the entire winter.

Now, the question is what the Yankees do next?

They acquired Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins last week, but still need another starter. And with Bellinger in left field, Trent Grisham in center and Judge in right, they have a surplus of outfielders. They could use young outfielder Jasson Dominguez, their former No. 1 prospect, as trade bait.

They are one of the teams that have been in contact with the Milwaukee Brewers about ace Freddy Peralta, who earns just $8 million and is in the final year of his contract. They’re talking to other teams, too, and plenty of starters like Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen remain on the market.

Three weeks remain before spring training, but the Yankees, after watching the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles get better, are finally back in business.

The Yankees still may not be the team to beat in the AL East, but they can finally exhale.

They got the man they wanted, and most of all, needed all along.

Bellinger is back.

So are the Yankees’ World Series hopes.

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