Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger Bets On Himself As A Free-Agent

Chicago Cubs outfielder/first baseman, Cody Bellinger, has become one of the most attractive Major League Baseball players in the 2023 free-agent market.

The left-handed hitting Bellinger, still only 28, has declined his part of a Chicago Cubs mutual team/player option.

A confident Bellinger will leave $25 million on the table, hoping to increase both the length and annual value of a new contract.

Bellinger was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.

Bellinger made his big league debut in 2017, at the age of 21. He was an All Star that season.

Bellinger was the Rookie of the Year that year with the Dodgers, when he hit .267, with 39 homers and 97 RBIs. He scored 87 runs.

Bellinger began his career with three outstanding, award winning seasons.

Even though his team made it to the World Series, a bit of a decline in Bellinger’s performance began to show in 2020, when he hit just .239 in the pandemic shortened season.

Bellinger dislocated his shoulder in a home plate celebration after hitting a game-winning home run in the 2020 National League Championship Series.

Bellinger played in all six World Series games that season, but he underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason.

Things went downhill beginning in the 2021 season.

His 2021, and 2022 years with the Dodgers were problematic, to say the least.

His first off-year occurred following a 2021 season when Bellinger hit only .165. It was clear that minor injuries, and the shoulder issue played a part in his rapid decline.

After hitting only .210/.265/.389/.654 with 19 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 2022, the Dodgers did not offer him a new contract.

The Cubs signed Bellinger as a free-agent on November 18, 2022.

Cody Bellinger-A Complete Player

Healthy this year with the Cubs, his first year with the team, Bellinger made an outstanding comeback. He hit .307 with 26 homers and 87 RBIs in 556 plate appearances.

Bellinger will be a candidate for the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Awards and trophies are part of Bellinger’s seven year big league career.

Bellinger has made two All Star teams so far. He was an All Star in both 2017, and 2019.

He was named the All Star MVP in his 2019 appearance.

Bellinger won a National League Silver Slugger Award with the Dodgers in 2019

Bellinger will not only bring a loud bat to his new team, but he is also a very good defensive player. He won a National League Gold Glove with the Dodgers in 2019.

Risk/Reward With Bellinger:

There is always risk involved when a player declines a contract worth $25 million.

To begin, how many MLB franchises are willing, and/or able to spend more than that amount on a single player?

Clearly, Bellinger’s contract requirements may limit the number of interested free-agent suitors.

In Bellinger’s case, he and his agent can illustrate Bellinger’s versatility; given his ability to play very high quality defense in both center field and at first base.

His age is another tremendous benefit for Bellinger. He just turned 28 this past August. He is still in his baseball prime, with a potential for many years of quality baseball life remaining.

There is lots to like about Bellinger.

For example, Bellinger was among the Top 10 in National League batting average in both 2019 with the Dodgers when he hit .305, and this season, when he hit .307 with the Cubs.

He was second in the National League when he scored 121 runs in 2019, He was first in total bases that year, with 351.

The risk in signing Bellinger to an expensive long term contract is simple. Which is the real Cody Bellinger? Is it the one who didn’t play well in 2021 or 2022? Or is it the Bellinger that set the world on fire in his first three seasons with the Dodgers, and this past year with the Cubs?

A healthy Bellinger is a dangerous Bellinger.

It’s possible the Cubs will make an effort to sign Bellinger to a long-term contract.

If not the Cubs, what teams may enter a sweepstakes to sign Cody Bellinger?

MLB.com lists Bellinger as their 4th highest rated free-agent, behind only designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and pitcher Blake Snell.

Yamamoto still has to be posted by Japan’s Orix Buffaloes team this winter to enter the MLB free-agent market.

MLB.com lists possible suitors for Bellinger to be the Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and the New York Yankees.

This observer would add the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers to the list.

Interest for Bellinger will be dictated by those teams willing and able to dedicate more than $25 million per year on a long-term contract for the 28-year-old’s services.

Watching Bellinger’s market develop should be fascinating.