Another reason why I would prefer Kyle Tucker to Cody Bellinger.

If Cody Bellinger's market continues to heat up, because you've heard so many teams connected

to him, including the Mets, and all of a sudden, Beliger ends up with something far greater

than maybe we could even project today on November 18th.

You mean an offer?

An offer.

Right.

And the negotiations, like a bidding war, if you will, I would feel much more comfortable giving

Kyle Tucker the mega contract than Cody Bellinger just based on their history.

Yeah.

He's a guy in Cody Bellinger who wasn't that long ago was benched because he couldn't hit.

Like it wasn't that long ago that he was a 165 hitter for the Dodgers. So I guess in the back of my mind, I still think about that. I know as a Yankee fan, you think of just this past year. And there's nothing negative about this past year. He basically went out and played every day. He had a really good year. Almost drove in 100 runs, a 30 home runs almost. That a really productive year. But you got to look at his whole career. And if you're getting in a bed on a seven-year deal, you have to look at one's whole career even more. Yeah. I think trying to project what they're going to do. Yeah, I think a lot of this is going to be what the deal looks like. And whether the short-term viability and upside versus the long-term viability and upside.

Because these guys don't want short deals, and it's hard to blame them.

But ultimately that, because Cody was one of those guys a few years ago that kind of got left in the cold, right?

Yes.

Ended up not signing how to do a team-friendly friendly, but a team friendly deal just to get somewhere.

Yeah, he did a three-year deal with a bunch of opt-outs. Yes, exactly. And that's, he doesn't want to do this. No, he wants his payday. Yes. I don't blame him for that. But if I have to decide between a bigger payday for Kyle Tucker versus a big payday for Cody Belanger, I'm always going to side with the better player. And I'm telling you, I say this because I've

learned my lesson. I call myself out for this. Tucker versus a big payday for Cody Belanger, I'm always going to side with the better player.

And I'm telling you, I say this because I've learned my lesson.

I call myself out for this. All the way back in 2018, we were having a discussion about Manny Machado being a trade target and eventually a free agent. And at the time, the Yankees had a pretty good shortstop named Didi Gregorius. and clearly mani richardo was better but the emotion of what Didi had been doing for the Yankees led Yankee fans and even myself as an IBO to be like, you know what, man, he's better, but I'm not screwing around. I want to stick with Didi. I want the chemistry, the glue guy. Yeah. Doesn't always work. No, and I, sometimes it does, though. Sometimes, but I think sometimes it's got to be simple.

And the simple answer is, who's better? It's like the old question at the bar. Who's a better player? And Kyle Tucker's a better player. So I would just side with that. I just think, I know where you're going with that comp. I think it's a little unfair to compare D.D. Gregorius to Cody Bellinger, based on his career, based on everything he did last year.

I get that it's a heartstrings thing with Yankee fans, but they're not even the same stratus. to compare Didi Grigorous to Cody Bellinger, based on his career, based on everything he did last year.

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