The New York Yankees have recovered from a brutal stretch of the season to earn a playoff berth and avoid the outright catastrophe of missing the postseason.
The team can thank a resurgent bullpen for the turnaround, but it should also be grateful that it replaced Juan Soto with a pair of veteran stars. Newcomer Max Fried has served as the team’s ace this year, while former Most Valuable Player Award winner Cody Bellinger has been a solid offensive contributor while offering critical flexibility on defense.
Bellinger’s surge this season is particularly noteworthy, as he has bounced back from a down campaign with the Chicago Cubs last year to a .272/.334/.480 slash line this season that puts him on course to opt out of his contract and return to free agency. Bellinger might return to the Bronx for another run or he could add a stint with a new team to his resume, which includes a noteworthy six-year tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers in addition to his time with the Cubs.
For now, though, Bellinger seems more focused on the unfinished business that lies ahead for the Yankees. When speaking out about the team’s chances of making it all the way to the World Series, Bellinger threw some shade at his former team by noting that his current roster has more talent.
“This is the most talented team I’ve ever played for,” Bellinger said, according to NJ.com’s Bob Klapisch.
Heading into a first-round playoff matchup alongside Fried, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and other stars, it’s understandable that Bellinger would single out his current team for that praise. But it did fire a kind of shot at his former teams, particularly a 2020 Dodgers group that won the World Series championship.
That squad included Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Will Smith, Kenley Jansen and other perennial All-Stars. That is a lot of talent. But Bellinger sent a clear message about how that roster stacks up compared to his current one, at least in his own estimation.