First baseman and outfielder Cody Bellinger’s free agency has probably taken longer to conclude than most anticipated. In these sweepstakes, where is the finish line, and will he play for the Chicago Cubs going forward?
On January 31, Scott Boeck, the MLB editor for USA Today, participated in a staff meeting to forecast the final destinations of the top free agents. Bellinger would re-sign with the Cubs, according to all five of the people surveyed for this article. But Boeck’s particular forecast for how it would occur was different from everyone else’s.
He stated, “Bellinger wants to play for the Angels again, but he’s returning to Chicago on a short-term contract.”
Since Shohei Ohtani was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger has been the best free-agent bat available. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Bellinger has not only stayed unsigned, but he has not even yet received a contract offer from an interested team.
This is a result of the left-handed slugger’s still excessive asking price. When Jesse Rogers of ESPN first reported on December 19, agent Scott Boras stated that he was seeking a payment of more than $200 million for his client. One official told Rogers, “Boras is sticking to the money that was mentioned at the start of the free agency market.” He’ll handle it well into the upcoming winter. Remaining motionless.
Teams are scheduled to report for spring training in a few weeks, so it appears like Boras hasn’t changed his request much, if at all.
On January 20, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com pointed out that not many teams were actively trying to recruit Bellinger. Therefore, the Cubs front office has been cautious in contract negotiations so as not to bid against itself. The outfielder isn’t formally back in the lineup at Wrigley Field just yet, primarily for that reason.
Teams report for spring training in a few weeks, so it doesn’t seem like Boras has modified his proposal significantly.
As noted by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on January 20, not many teams were actively attempting to sign Bellinger. In order to avoid bidding against itself, the Cubs front office has been cautious throughout contract discussions. For that reason alone, the outfielder isn’t officially back in the starting lineup at Wrigley Field just yet.
It is widely anticipated in baseball that a contract will be finally agreed upon by the Cubs and Bellinger. On January 20, Feinsand stated that Chicago has to be considered the favourite. Jon Heyman of the New York Post made a similar statement during a live broadcast of Bleacher Report on January 26.
On January 30, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reiterated this. “Several people in the baseball industry told me this week that the Cubs are Cody Bellinger’s most likely landing spot, although Bellinger is not close to choosing a team,” he said via X (previously Twitter).
Everything about this makes logic. After joining the Cubs for the 2023 season, Bellinger produced his best season since taking home the 2019 National League MVP Award. In 556 plate appearances, he hit.307,.356,.525 with 26 home runs, 29 doubles, 20 steals, 97 RBI, and 95 runs scored.
