Cody Bellinger‘s signing continues to make waves about the player and the Yankees’ environment. Another name that appears in this negotiation is that of renowned agent Scott Boras, the player’s representative, and it has become known that the signing of the contract establishes a new modality in its clauses.
The five-year, $162.5 million deal had one sticking point between the parties that had to be discussed over several sessions. The outfielder and Boras wanted the opportunity to test the market again in free agency after the first two years.
Initially, the opt-out clause was set to be exercised after 2027 or 2028. However, with the possibility that MLB and the union may not come to good terms on a new collective bargaining agreement before December, franchises and players risk facing a lockout.
It is worth remembering that four years ago was the last time a shutdown occurred. This precedent was taken into account by Boras so that Bellinger and the Yankees signed a contract with a special clause
We have what I call a kind of glass of labor fluidity
Instead of offering him the option to exercise the opt-out clause after 2027 and 2028, as any other contract would be drafted, his gives him the option to leave after the “second and third Championship played”. In other words, his deal is not defined by years but by seasons.
Who benefits more from the clause? Bellinger or the Yankees?
It was in 2000 that an opt-out clause was first discussed. That was with the 10-year, $252 million contract Alex Rodriguez signed with the Rangers. Who was his representative? The same Scott Boras.
- The clause was created as a lockout-proof clause. Taken to Bellinger’s case today, it establishes that if the player plays outstandingly in 2026 and misses the 2027 season, the Yankees would have enjoyed only one campaign of his performance
In this sense, it is believed that the team loses, but the player also loses, because a bad season or a season without activity influences the signing of the contract when defining the annual salary with the franchise that wants his services.
Another aspect in Bellinger’s contract with the Yankees
In addition to ensuring that the employment relationship between the parties is based on MLB calendar seasons and not years, Cody Bellinger obtained another protection in the event of a lockout: a $20 million signing bonus.
So far, it is the only contract written and paid in this way in the Major Leagues. It is a stipulated agreement for a player with a multi-year agreement that includes an exit clause without locks so that such clause is for each year.
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