Insider Believes Cubs Still Favorites to Land Cody Bellinger
With less than a month until Spring Training starts, several top free agents still remain unsigned, including former Chicago Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger hasn't been able to find a team willing to pay him the $250 million contract he was reportedly seeking. Besides his old team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, nobody's really been handing out large contracts this winter.
The clock is ticking, and sooner or later he'll need to accept an offer from someone, even if it means lowering his asking price.
While the Cubs initially balked at Bellinger's demands, the limited interest he's received could ultimately help them reunite, according to MLB insider Jon Morosi.
In an interview with sports anchor Jarrett Payton on Thursday, Morosi explained why he thinks Bellinger is still a good bet to return to Chicago.
"We know the Cubs love Cody. We know how much he loved his time on the North Side," Morosi said. "I really think, right now, the Cubs have as good or better of a chance to sign Cody Bellinger as any other team in Major League Baseball."
Ultimately, money will be the deciding factor. But everything else points to Bellinger coming back to the Cubs, as long as they give him a competitive offer.
Chicago could certainly use his offensive production in its lineup again.
Bellinger bashed 26 homers and knocked in 97 runs while stealing a career-high 20 bases last year. He also slashed .307/.356/.525 en route to a Silver Slugger award and a 10th-place MVP finish.
If the Cubs are serious about contending next year, they need to pony up and bring Bellinger back. If they keep waiting for his price to come down, it's only a matter of time before another team swoops in and signs him.
