Free agent Cody Bellinger is drawing plenty of interest on the open market this offseason. With the Philadelphia Phillies trying to rebuild their outfield, no avenue should be off limits, even a left-handed bat like Bellinger's.
The Phillies front office has been trying to find a new right-handed outfield bat for a while now. That desire should only increase with right-handed right fielder Nick Castellanos on his way out the door. The other outfielders currently in the mix for 2026 include the left-handed Brandon Marsh and left-handed-hitting top prospect Justin Crawford.
Even after getting burned by the Max Kepler experiment, when the Phillies opted for his left-handed bat last offseason instead of a righty, Bellinger's a different animal from the left side of the plate.
Cody Bellinger’s left-handed bat is a perfect fit for the Phillies' lineup
Now there's a (kind of) connection to Bellinger this offseason, too. The New York Post's Jon Heyman recently reported that the Phillies are "lurking" around Bellinger's free agency (subscription required). Whatever that means.
In a season for the New York Yankees that is sure to increase his value in free agency, the 30-year-old Bellinger hit .272 with an .813 OPS, 29 home runs and 98 RBIs and a 125 wRC+. He has a career-low 13.7 percent strikeout rate and compiled his highest fWAR (4.9) since his 2019 NL MVP season (7.8).
But what sets Bellinger apart from other lefties are his reverse splits. He beat up on left-handed pitching this season. In 176 plate appearances, he hit .353 with a 1.016 OPS and eight home runs. He walked 10.2 percent of the time while striking out at in impressive 9.7 percent clip.
As MLB.com's Mark Feinsand notes, "Only one other left-handed hitter since 2002 has posted an OPS above 1.000 while striking out less than 10 percent of the time against lefties in at least 100 plate appearances: Barry Bonds, who did it in 2002 and 2004."
While Bellinger would be cheaper than someone like Kyle Tucker, a projected annual salary of around $26 million on a long-term deal might still be prohibitive for the Phillies. That's assuming that they re-sign both Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. If Schwarber goes, then everything is on the table.
Bellinger can play all three outfield spots, and first base, which would give the Phillies plenty of flexibility to shape the rest of their outfield. He was a well-above-average corner outfielder for the Yankees this year, posting +7 defensive runs saved in left and +8 in right.
Bellinger is being heavily courted by the Yankees, which makes a ton of sense, and has the New York Mets and both Los Angeles teams interested, according to Heyman. So despite this all feeling like a long shot, Bellinger would be a great fit for the Phillies, even if it's another left-handed bat in the lineup.