After extended negotiations, the New York Yankees finally came to an agreement with outfield slugger Cody Bellinger. While the SF Giants were linked to him, they’ll be thankful they missed out after seeing the contract details.

Bellinger reportedly agreed to a five-year $162.5 million contract with New York with opt-outs after the second and third seasons which will allow him to hit free agency again if he so chooses.

It is a pretty massive deal and one that the Giants pretty clearly were never going to be in on in a major way even though throughout the offseason they were seen as a fit for Bellinger.

SF Giants should be glad they missed on Bellinger

After the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker, Bellinger was the best remaining outfield free agent on the market. If the Giants wanted to answer LA’s massive signing, Bellinger was right there for the taking.

There was some hope the Giants could swoop in and steal Bellinger from the Yankees after it was reported that Bellinger and New York had reached an impasse in contract talks. Apparently they were able to iron out whatever squabbles they had and reach a deal.

As recently as Tuesday, the Yankees reportedly had competition from the New York Mets and two mystery teams who were still in on Bellinger. Were the Giants one of those two mystery teams? It is possible, but probably the only way San Francisco could have landed him is if they overpaid him and gave him something like a six or seven year deal which is not exactly wise considering Bellinger is on the wrong side of 30.

Still, with a gaping hole in right field the Giants definitely could have used someone like Bellinger. Even in Oracle Park he has impressive power and would have been a huge boost defensively in the outfield.

Maybe if the Giants gave him a super high AAV (Average Annual Value) similar to the Tucker deal with some opt-outs in there that would have been enough to get a deal done, but we know president of baseball operations Buster Posey has been reluctant to hand out contracts with opt-outs since taking over.

Now that Bellinger is officially off the market, it seems like the Giants may just have to roll with their young and inexperienced contingent of outfielders in right field.

That group of Drew Gilbert, Luis Matos, Jerar Encarnacion, and Grant McCray does not inspire the most confidence, but the Giants will be thankful that they are not paying for Bellinger as he likely declines in his 30’s.