Connect with us

Published

on

LAS VEGAS — A year after centering their offseason around retaining Juan Soto, the New York Yankees‘ list of priorities this winter begins with another prized outfielder expected to field considerable interest in the free agent market: Cody Bellinger.

While Bellinger won’t land nearly the record-setting contract Soto signed, he will have a robust selection of potential destinations, and the Yankees aren’t hiding their desire to re-sign him.

“We’re very interested in bringing him back,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday.

Cashman spoke to reporters on a video call from the East Coast while members of his front office and peers around the majors congregated for the annual general manager meetings in Nevada this week. The event, the unofficial start of the hot stove season, allows for clubs and agents to set the foundation for deals in the trade and free agent markets.

The Yankees will likely dabble in both spaces to improve a club that won 94 games but failed to win the American League East title before the Toronto Blue Jays bounced them from the postseason in the AL Division Series. The pursuit seemingly starts with the 30-year-old Bellinger, whom ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicted will sign a six-year, $165 million contract after a standout season in the Bronx.

The Yankees acquired Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs in December as part of their snappy pivot from Soto after he chose to sign with the New York Mets. They sent right-hander Cody Poteet to the Cubs, who were seeking to dump Bellinger’s salary days after acquiring Kyle Tucker, for Bellinger and $5 million to offset Bellinger’s $27.5 million salary in 2025.

Poteet was designated for assignment before the regular season and pitched in one game for the Baltimore Orioles in late April before landing on the injured list with shoulder inflammation for the remainder of the year. Bellinger, meanwhile, became the Yankees’ second-most valuable player by WAR and put him on the path to sign the second-largest contract for an outfielder this offseason behind Tucker.

Offensively, Bellinger, mostly hitting behind Aaron Judge, batted .272 with 29 home runs and an .813 OPS in 152 games. He was particularly dangerous against left-handed pitching, leading all left-handed hitters in on-base percentage (.415) and slugging percentage (.601) against lefties.

Defensively, metrics indicate he was a strong defender at the corner outfield spots and in his limited time at first base, though slightly below average in center field. He added 13 steals in 15 attempts. The all-around prowess produced 4.9 fWAR, tied with Kyle Schwarber for 18th in the majors and second on the Yankees behind Judge.

After the season, Bellinger opted out of the final year of the three-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Cubs before the 2024 season. Bellinger would have been paid $25 million in 2026.

“I just think the whole dynamic suited them and suited him,” said Scott Boras, Bellinger’s agent. “It was really an ideal fit. It was really a well-made ride for everybody.”

Bellinger isn’t the only prominent Yankees outfielder who could sign elsewhere this offseason. Trent Grisham, another breakout contributor in 2025, has until Tuesday to accept the club’s one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer or test free agency, where he would undoubtedly receive interest from several clubs on a lucrative multiyear contract after slugging a career-high 34 home runs.

Cashman said Grisham accepting the qualifying offer will not prevent the Yankees from pursuing Bellinger. Cashman added the team could pursue both outfielders in free agency should Grisham choose that route. For now, Bellinger, after shining in the Bronx, is a priority.

“We’d be better served if we could retain him,” Cashman said. “But if not, then we’ll have to look at alternatives, ways to fill it and see where that takes us. But it’s pretty early in the process. But I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Of course we’d like to have him back.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Ex-‘Last Chance U’ coach shot on Oakland campus

Published

on

By

Ex-'Last Chance U' coach shot on Oakland campus

A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland, California, was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.

The Oakland Police Department said it was investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition was unknown.

The man later was identified as John Beam, the current athletic director and former head coach of the Laney football team. Beam and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn around their lives.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”

“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”

Lee added: “We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”

Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student was in stable condition. Police said they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Published

on

By

Colorado AD will step down, take advisory role

Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.

George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.

“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”

During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.

George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.

“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”

Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.

Continue Reading

Sports

Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

Published

on

By

Yurachek replaces Rhoades as new CFP chair

The College Football Playoff management committee has formally approved the return of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to its selection committee and named current committee member and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek its new chair, the CFP announced on Thursday.

The moves come hours after Baylor athletic director and selection committee chair Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence from his job for personal reasons amid a university investigation.

“We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades’ leadership and service as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately. Hunter’s experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season.”

Harlan previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. The CFP typically requires athletic directors on the selection committee to be active, “sitting” athletic directors. Because Rhoades was the Big 12’s nomination, he was replaced by a Big 12 athletic director. The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua unanimously agreed to the changes.

Harlan is not the only committee member in his second stint with the group, as former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long – also the CFP’s inaugural chairman – is participating again this season. The 12-person group was already one member short this season after committee member Randall McDaniel also stepped away last month for personal reasons.

Rhoades told ESPN on Thursday that he initiated the leave from his Baylor role but declined to explain why.

Baylor told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that the university received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday. The allegations do not involve Title IX, student welfare or NCAA rules and do not involve the football program, indicating it is a separate incident from Rhoades’ alleged altercation with a football player during a September game.

Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as Baylor’s co-interim athletic directors, a school spokesman told Rittenberg. Overshown is the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, and Hall is Baylor’s executive senior associate athletic director for internal administration and chief financial officer.

Continue Reading

Trending