The market for center fielder Cody Bellinger, the undisputed #2 position player available on the free agent market this offseason, appears to be starting to focus now that superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani has signed a contract with the Dodgers.

In contract negotiations this winter, Bellinger and agent Scott Boras are reportedly looking for “$200MM plus,” according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Bellinger’s stint in LA ended in a horrific fashion, so it’s amazing that he’s in a position to even approach that sum. Throughout the 2021 season, the outfielder battled ailments to his calf, shoulder, and ribs. He also had a terrible season when he did play, slashing a pitiful.165/.240/.302 in 350 plate appearances.

Even though he was able to stay off the injury list in 2022, his poor performance continued as he only hit.210/.265/.389, which led the Dodgers to decide not to tender him this offseason.

Shortly after not getting selected, Bellinger accepted a one-year contract from the Cubs, where he began the 2023 season with the goal of increasing his worth in anticipation of returning to the open market following the season.

He most definitely excelled in that endeavor, slashing.307/.356/.525 and being in the top 10 of the NL MVP voting in addition to winning his second career Silver Slugger award. In our annual Top 50 MLB free agents list, MLBTR projected Bellinger for a twelve-year, $264MM deal—the second-highest projected guarantee after Ohtani—despite possible concerns about his quality of contact in 2023.