A new Cody Bellinger update dropped from New York Post‘s Jon Heyman on Thanksgiving, with Heyman indicating that Bellinger is still being hotly pursued by the New York Yankees, and even that Kyle Tucker is New York’s “backup plan” in the event that they miss out on Bellinger. Kyle Tucker? Backup plan behind Bellinger? Really? Despite the mysterious assertion by Heyman, Bellinger’s free agency is clearly interesting due to all of the different potential landing spots attached to the former National League MVP. Another MLB insider, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, broke down Belli’s market this week. “The Yankees want Bellinger back,” Feinsand said. “You look at what he did at Yankee Stadium this year … he just owns that ballpark. It was perfect for his swing.” Story continues below advertisement “He opted out with the idea of trying to finally secure that long-term contract that has evaded hin the last couple times in free agency, but he’s a different player now than he was the last couple times. There’s going to be competition for him, though.” The Mets are going to be interested in him, especially after the trade they just made,” Feinsand continued. “You know, there’s now an opening in the outfield where Brandon Nimmo was. The Dodgers have been a team that’s been talked about as a potential Bellinger landing spot. … So you’re talking about some big market teams going for Cody Bellinger.” Story continues below advertisement “I don’t think (that it’s a) foregone conclusion that he goes back to the Yankees, but they’re certainly going to give it a try to bring him back.” Bellinger slashed .272/ .334/ .480/ .814 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI across 152 games in 2025, posting a career-best 4.9 fWAR while logging starts in left, center, right field, and first base. His defensive prowess shone with +7 Outs Above Average, anchoring New York’s outfield. A three-homer explosion against his old club capped a month where he earned AL Player of the Week honors, fueling the Yankees’ deep playoff push.