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.
Chicago is aware of him and appears to like him. Jed Hoyer, the president of baseball operations, personally verified that, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic on January 14. “I believe in Cody’s universe. He obviously had an amazing year here. He not only had a fantastic year for us, but he also got along well with the players, fans, and city. He is well-liked by the players, and he is aware of my admiration for him. Nothing about that has changed.
It appears to be a matter of time until Bellinger re-signs with the Cubs and someone gives up on this staring contest. But is this a short-term or long-term agreement? That’s anybody’s guess right now.
