This is the largest contract the NY Mets should dare give to Cody Bellinger

After losing out on Kyle Tucker, the New York Mets have even more reason to chase Cody Bellinger than before. He's now one of the club's top targets, after long being pegged as a perfect fit for what New York needs.

Bellinger fits the desire to tighten up the defense, follows the recent trend of signing hitters with low strikeout rates like Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco, and provides another level of versatility that would go a long way towards ensuring the best nine are in the lineup, no matter the circumstances.

The 2019 NL MVP won't come cheap, however. He's been locked in a staring contest with the New York Yankees, standing firm in his demands for seven years and an AAV in the high $30 million range.

The tactics used on Tucker and Bichette won't work here. Bellinger's been denied security a couple of times already throughout his career, and there are enough teams still interested that someone may cave and give him a long-term contract. The question is, what's the max the Mets should be willing to pay?

This is the maximum the Mets should offer Cody Bellinger

Comps are important in determining this market. Bellinger isn't in the same class as Tucker or Bichette, fitting better in the tier alongside Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Kyle Schwarber. Skillset-wise, he and Bregman are very similar as excellent two-way players who rarely strike out but also have some concerns over some underlying metrics like exit velocity and hard hit rates.

Bregman is two years older than Bellinger, which gives some credence to Bellinger's request for a long-term deal. The former Red Sox third baseman's new deal with the Chicago Cubs is five years, $175 million. Obviously, five years is a sticking point for Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras.

However, seven years feels like a gamble David Stearns will never take. Meeting in the middle at six could be a solution. At that point, let's take what Bregman made between his one year in Boston and what he's set to make in Chicago. The Red Sox paid Bregman $40 million, so his six-year total comes out to $215 million.

Now, despite the similarities in their games, Bregman has been the more consistent player, even if he's tapered off a bit since his peak. Bellinger was famously non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers because he had an absolutely brutal two-year stretch coming off an injury, and since then, he's alternated between above-average and star-level performance.

He should make less than Bregman, though not by much. Therefore, a six-year, $200 million offer should be the Mets' highest offer. That would come out to a $33.3 million AAV, higher than the reported $155-$160 million the Yankees have offered, if only by a hair, but a touch less than what Bregman got. The sixth year gives him his sense of security.

Anything above that and you start entering dangerous territory. If Bellinger isn't satisfied with six for $200 million, then it's time to happily turn to left field alternatives.