Cody Bellinger continued his post-Dodgers renaissance in style last year with the New York Yankees, hitting .272/.334/.480 (125 wRC+) with 29 home runs. He was the lineup protection that Aaron Judge sorely needed, and it was clear that he had found a home in the Bronx.
Then, nearly the entire winter went by, and as the market shut Bellinger out, the Yankees chose to hibernate. Eventually, both parties realized they were the last ones without a partner on the dance floor, though it's clear which side had more leverage as New York had to surrender $162 million, opt-outs, and a full no-trade clause in order to retain the fourth-best free agent this offseason.
It was a necessary move for the (former) Evil Empire after an offseason defined by inactivity, but the Yankees didn't get better with this move — they merely chose to run it back. That's not going to be good enough in a loaded AL East.
Red Sox, AL East rivals clearly surpassing Yankees in divisional hierarchy
For comparison's sake, let's break down the major offseason moves for all five AL East teams (in order of the 2025 standings).
1. Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays have signed Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers and Kazuma Okamoto to a roster that came within one inning of winning the World Series. They did lose Bo Bichette to the Mets, but their talented rotation and loaded lineup are still probably the class of the division.
2. New York Yankees
The Yankees have traded for Ryan Weathers and selected Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 Draft. That's it. Their other major transactions (Bellinger, Trent Grisham) have merely been about retaining talent from last year. It's been such a slow offseason that The Athletic literally had to create a new tier just to classify what they've been doing since the season ended.
3. Boston Red Sox
The Sox have added Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Johan Oviedo via trade, as well as Ranger Suárez in a blockbuster free-agent signing. Losing Alex Bregman to the Cubs was brutal, but this team may have the deepest pitching staff in all of baseball. If the Blue Jays have real competition in the division in 2026, it'll likely come from Boston.
4. Tampa Bay Rays
They did steal Steven Matz from the Red Sox and have added some key pieces (Cedric Mullins, Gavin Lux, Jake Fraley) via various means, but this team finished well below .500 last year and lost Pete Fairbanks, Adrian Houser, and Brandon Lowe this offseason. The Rays are always competitive, but this year may be a transitional one in Tampa.
5. Baltimore Orioles
One of the more active teams this offseason, the Orioles have added Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Ryan Helsley, and Shane Baz to their roster. And yet, they lack so much starting pitching. This is a boom-or-bust squad that will need a lot of luck in the rotation to make it through a full season.
In all, the Yankees do still have Judge, Bellinger, and a rotation headlined by Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón. But, at least on paper, they've seemingly fallen behind at least the Blue Jays and Red Sox.
And while that same team did best Boston in the AL Wild Card Round last year, there's a case to be made that by choosing to run it back with such an old squad, they're destined to get worse, not better.
Given Bellinger's long injury history and struggles at various points from 2020-24, there's a chance that this deal blows up in the Yankees' face. And, if that happens, they'll have no one but themselves to blame.
If that's not music to the ears of all Red Sox fans, I'm not sure what will be.