A Look at the Upcoming Negotiations For Former MVP Cody Bellinger
Chicago Cubs outfielder and former National League MVP Cody Bellinger is headed for free agency this offseason with several teams expected to be interested.
According to a Monday article in 'The Athletic,' the Cubs expect the negotiations for Bellinger to go deep into the offseason because of agent Scott Boras.
All scouts agreed that Boras is the wild card here. The Cubs know that and are preparing for him to take Bellinger’s negotiations deep into the offseason. Unless Boras is able to convince an owner to give Bellinger an outlandish deal, it’s unlikely to be done in December.
That seems fair, as Boras will likely try to extract every last dollar out of Bellinger's free agency. He is the best free agent hitter on the market not named Shohei Ohtani.
The 28-year-old had a major bounceback season in 2023, hitting .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He posted a .356 on-base percentage and played his usually strong outfield defense.
While the Cubs would like to have him back, the Yankees have been mentioned as a possibility. The Seattle Mariners could also be interested given that they are expected to lose Teoscar Hernandez in free agency.
Bellinger is a lifetime .258 hitter who has spent seven years in the big leagues with the Cubs and Dodgers. He's a two-time All-Star who helped the Dodgers win the World Series in the COVID 2020 year. He won the National League MVP award in 2019 when he hit 47 home runs and drove in 115.
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