Daily Report – 1/21/26
Yankees
Cody Bellinger is returning to the Yankees on a five-year, $162.5 million contract. The deal includes a $20 million signing bonus, a full no-trade clause, and opt-outs after the first and second seasons.
Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
For a while, it looked like the Mets or Blue Jays might swoop in and steal Bellinger, who posted a .272 average with 29 home runs and a .813 OPS last season. Toronto had reportedly offered Kyle Tucker 10 years before he took a shorter deal with the Dodgers, so they seemed like a legitimate threat to land the former MVP. But when the Mets signed Luis Robert Jr. last night, they effectively removed themselves from the Bellinger sweepstakes.
Last season, Bellinger proved to be a defensive wizard and the left fielder the Yankees have been searching for. Bellinger offers reverse splits at the plate, which is necessary in a mostly left-handed lineup. He can also play left field and first base at an elite level. Last season, he ranked in the 93rd and 91st percentiles, respectively, in fielding range and arm value (Baseball Savant).
Bellinger’s greatest offensive attribute is his low strikeout rate, which ranked in the 91st percentile of MLB hitters last season (Baseball Savant). According to Fangraphs, he posted a career-low 13.7% strikeout rate last season.
Cody Bellinger is 30 years old. He grew up around the Yankees. His father, Clay, played for them between 1999 and 2001, winning two World Series titles.
I was banking on the Bombers to bring Bellinger’s bat back to the Bronx. Thankfully, they successfully bargained in the Bellinger banter.
Rangers
To win or not to win. That is the question for these Rangers, who, on any given night, cannot seem to decide whether or not to play defense.
Their epic free fall continued in Los Angeles yesterday as they dropped the second game of a back-to-back set for the eighth time this season, falling 4-3 to the Kings. The Rangers have now lost 10 of their previous 12 games.
18 seconds. That’s exactly how long it took for the Kings to get on the board. Los Angeles entered last night’s game with the lowest-scoring even-strength offense in the NHL. They were also the lowest-scoring team in the first and second periods of games this season. Yet, they did not look the part against the Blueshirts, scoring two goals in each of the first 20-minute frames.
Somehow, the Rangers managed their second-highest shot total of the season, firing 37 on Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg, but they only cashed in three times. The Rangers scored twice against Kuemper, but he exited with an injury toward the end of the first period. Forsberg magnificently stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in relief.
Despite mustering a high shot volume against Forsberg, the Rangers were unable to elevate pucks. To his credit, though, Forsberg stopped all 10 high-danger shots he faced, along with 12 shots off rebounds (Natural Stat Trick).
Meanwhile, on the eve of his 40th birthday, against his former team, where he won two Stanley Cups, Jonathan Quick only saved five of eight high-danger shots. It was another poor start to add to this season’s long list. Quick has only won three of the 16 games he has played.
After last night’s contest, when asked about whether he plans to ride it out with the post-letter Rangers, he was quick to dismiss any sentiments of a potential departure.
Despite giving up a goal to Adrian Kempe off the rush 18 seconds into the opening frame, the Rangers responded eight minutes later. Will Cuylle, who had not scored since December 23, tipped Scott Morrow’s shot past Kuemper for the equalizer.
Kevin Fiala struck back 42 seconds later – again, far too quickly – but at 3:24, Mika Zibanejad centered a pass straight to JT Miller in the low slot, and he snapped the puck into the net.
In a give-and-go with Zibanejad, Miller worked his way around the right circle and through the slot, where Zibanejad found him down low. The assist extended Zibanejad’s point streak to a career-high-tying 10 games, across which he has recorded 19 points. Meanwhile, Miller went on to finish the game with two goals, extending his multi-point game streak to a career-high-tying four contests for the first time since 2022-23.
“We had a lot of chances, didn’t give in,” Miller said after the game. “Didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s not all bad.”
The Rangers generated their best scoring chances of the game in the second period. Seven minutes after Taylor Ward helped the Kings regain their lead, the Rangers earned 1:36 of time with a two-man advantage. They put eight shots on goal in that span, but could not find the back of the net. It was the second straight game in which the Rangers could not capitalize on a five-on-three power play.
Less than two minutes after the Rangers’ power play concluded, Andrei Kuzmenko lit the lamp to make it a two-goal game. The Rangers couldn’t generate much of a response, though, because Braden Schneider took two penalties within 3:15. The Rangers couldn’t score again until the third period, when Miller lit the lamp with 27 seconds left, while Quick sat on the bench.
“Really liked the response in the third [period] from the guys,” Miller said. “I think that it showed a lot of character.”
The Rangers removed Quick with three minutes remaining, and they forcefully defended their empty net, but couldn’t move the puck around quickly enough to score twice. The Rangers only have six or seven players whom they trust on the ice with their own net empty, so time was of the essence for them.
Eventually, Vincent Trocheck won an offensive zone faceoff back to Vladislav Gavrikov at the left point. He dished the puck down to Miller at the right halfwall, who sent it through traffic past Forsberg. The Rangers were trailing by a goal with 27 seconds left, but that would be all she wrote for New York.
Once again, the Rangers couldn’t manage their pucks. “The start of a period, start of games, last minute, after a goal scored, after a fight, those are critical moments in games where teams have an opportunity to build momentum,” said head coach Mike Sullivan.
“I do think we responded. I thought we responded after it. It’s 2-2 after the first period. I felt like we did respond, but it’s an instance where there’s just not a lot of attention to detail.”
The Rangers will get to explore the warm beaches of Southern California for two days. They will conclude their four-game road trip on Friday night when they visit the Sharks in San Jose.
Schedule
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CST): NYK vs. BKN; MSG, YES, Gotham Sports
9:00 PM (8:00 PM CST): 2026 Australian Open – Men’s and Women’s Second Round; ESPN2, ESPN App
