New York Mets are interested in Yankees’ free agent

For the second consecutive offseason, the New York Mets appear to be competing to pry an outfielder away from their crosstown rivals.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets are interested in free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who spent the 2025 season with the Yankees. Heyman noted that the Mets have openings at center field and first base—two positions Bellinger can play.

Bellinger, 30, joined the Yankees in a salary-dump trade days after the Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker last December. It was one of multiple defining moves in the Yankees’ pivot from Juan Soto, who signed a historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets after one season in the Bronx.

Over 152 regular-season games in pinstripes, Bellinger hit .272/.334/.480 (.813 OPS) with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs. The left-handed slugger finished with 5.1 bWAR, the highest mark he has produced since his 2019 NL MVP campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers (8.7).

Bellinger not only excelled batting behind Aaron Judge but was also one of the best defenders in baseball. Playing all three outfield positions and first base, he accumulated eight defensive runs saved and was credited with +7 Outs Above Average by Statcast.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has emphasized improving run prevention since the offseason began, citing it as one of the main reasons the team fell short of expectations in 2025. Adding a player with Bellinger’s defensive abilities to the starting lineup could help address that issue, though his exact role would depend on other moves.

When asked about the team’s center field options Tuesday at MLB’s GM meetings in Las Vegas, Stearns said Mets No. 2 prospect Carson Benge will have a chance to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 2024 first-rounder posted an .857 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs across three levels this past season, though he hit .178/.272/.311 in 24 Triple-A games.

If Benge starts in center, that would leave first base as a potential Pete Alonso replacement or either corner outfield spot as Bellinger’s most realistic long-term fit in Queens. Both Soto and Brandon Nimmo are under contract through at least 2030, so the Mets would likely have to move one to a full-time DH role or trade Nimmo to accommodate Bellinger in the outfield.

At no point during Bellinger’s first nine big-league seasons has he been a full-time first baseman, though he has made 350 career appearances (274 starts) at the position. His career marks of 10 DRS and -1 OAA at first are not as strong as his outfield metrics, though they are noticeably better than Alonso’s defensive numbers (-9 DRS, -9 OAA) in 2025.

If there is one concern about Bellinger’s potential fit in Queens, it is that the Mets already have an abundance of left-handed bats at the top of the lineup. That said, the two-time All-Star led all left-handed hitters in on-base percentage (.415) and slugging (.601) against lefty pitching in 2025.

Like Alonso, Bellinger opted out of the final year of his contract ($25 million guaranteed) in search of a longer-term agreement this offseason. Both Spotrac and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel project Bellinger to secure a six-year deal in free agency—one that would exceed his previous financial guarantee in average annual value.

NFL Hands Lengthy Drug Suspension to Buccaneers RB

Getty

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Josh Williams.

This isn’t the kind of news the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were expecting to deal with headed into the most important 2-game stretch of the season.

The NFL announced it was suspending Buccaneers rookie running Josh Williams for using PEDS on Tuesday, November 11, which wouldn’t make him eligible to return until a Week 17 road game against the Miami Dolphins.

“Bucs RB Josh Williams has been suspended six games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, the league announced,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account. 

“Bucs rookie running back Josh WIlliams has been suspended for six games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account. “He has played in three games this season, with four carries for 11 yards.”

The Buccaneers are coming off a 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 10 and face consecutive road games against a pair of Super Bowl contenders when they travel to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.

“Buccaneers’ RB Josh Williams is suspended six games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “Williams will be eligible for reinstatement on Tuesday, December 22, following the Buccaneers’ Week 16 game against the Carolina Panthers.”

---

Williams Went Undrafted Out of SEC Powerhouse

Williams, 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds, wasn’t selected in the 2025 NFL draft out of LSU and made the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.

It wasn’t much different than college, when Williams went from a walk-on at LSU to having 2,094 career yards of total offense and 18 touchdowns for the Tigers.

“Originally a walk-on at LSU, Williams spent five years with the program,” LSU Wire’s Alexis Yoder wrote after Williams made Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster in August. “His most productive season came in 2022 when he took 97 carries for 532 yards and six touchdowns. Last year, he took 117 carries for 482 yards and six touchdowns.”

---

Buccaneers Have Big Issue in Backfield

After 3 consecutive years of having the NFL’s worst rushing attack, the Buccaneers bounced back with a vengeance in 2024 behind rookie Bucky Irving, a fourth round pick (No. 125 overall) out of the University of Oregon.

Irving not only supplanted longtime starter Rachaad White as the Buccaneers’ main running back, he showed the potential to be one of the NFL’s very best at his position with 1,514 yards from scrimmage and 8 total touchdowns — that included 1,122 rushing yards.

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, Irving has missed the last 5 games with a shoulder injury and there hasn’t been any news on when he might possibly return.

Without irving’s dynamic running and pass catching ability, Tampa Bay has sorely missed a key dimension to the offense.

“With Bucky Irving injured, Josh WIlliams has been the Bucs’ No. 3 running back, active on game days but playing primarily on special teams only,” Auman wrote on X on November 11. “That role will likely now go to one of the backs on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, Owen Wright or Michael Wiley.”

Continue reading