The New York Yankees are pivoting to other targets as trade negotiations with the Chicago Cubs over Cody Bellinger have reached a "stalemate," according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported Tuesday the Yanks are looking at Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt in free agency.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on Dec. 11 that the Yankees were balking at absorbing most or all of the $52.5 million outstanding on Bellinger's contract.

Of the free agents they could sign in lieu of a Bellinger trade, Alonso would be the most fascinating addition from the group given he has spent his first six seasons with the New York Mets. Poaching him from their crosstown rivals would somewhat soften the blow of getting outbid for Juan Soto.

The four-time All-Star and Walker are presumably at the top of the Yankees' wish list based on their 2024 production.

Alonso hit 34 home runs and slugged .459 and that was a somewhat down year by his usual standards. Since debuting in 2019, he has yet to finish with an OPS+ lower than 122, per Baseball Reference.

Walker has been similarly consistent on offense, boasting a .250/.332/.481 slash line over the last three years, and offers additional value on defense. He's the three-time reigning Gold Glove winner at first base in the National League.

The arrival of either player would probably be celebrated in the Bronx.

Goldschmidt or Santana would be a tougher sell due to their age and general decline. Goldschmidt, 37, set career lows in on-base percentage (.302) and slugging (.302) this past season. Santana, 38, has batted just .222 and slugged .388 since his lone All-Star season in 2019.

In addition, opting for a cheaper alternative in free agency wouldn't make for great optics when the Yankees should theoretically have lots of cash to burn after their failed Soto pursuit. They were reportedly prepared to go up to $760 in order to retain the star slugger and they've since pledged $218 million to starting pitcher Max Fried.

Making a competitive bid to Alonso or Walker or simply taking on the entirety of Bellinger's contract shouldn't be too financially cumbersome for New York.