Bellinger is a Risk Worth Taking for Chicago Cubs
If you had to describe Cody Bellinger's career in one word, it be rollercoaster.
He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and NL MVP two years. Then he was one of the worst hitters in baseball in 2021 and 2022, causing the Los Angeles Dodgers to non-tender him. Then, improbably, he returned to being an All-Star caliber player again in 2023 -- his first year with the Chicago Cubs.
Bellinger's career has been one of the wilder ones in recent memory, filled with the highest of highs, the lowest of lows and not much in between. At age 28, he still presumably has plenty of baseball left, but nobody's quite sure what the rest of his career will look like.
If Bellinger keeps up his 2023 production for a while and gets back on the Hall of Fame track, no one would be too surprised. But if he completely fell apart and was out of baseball in a few years, well, no one would be shocked by that either.
Bellinger is going to be a free agent this offseason (a Scott Boras one, no less), which means the Cubs have a decision to make. Are they willing to pay a premium to keep him on the North Side for the foreseeable future? Or do they let him walk and let him potentially become someone else's trash or treasure?
While Bellinger has risk, his upside is well worth it for a number of reasons. He's still in his prime at 28, plays a premium position (center field), and is coming off a fantastic season. He batted .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 20 steals, 97 RBIs and 95 runs as part of a 4.4-win season per Baseball-Reference.
His impressive campaign wasn't the product of luck, either, as Bellinger made legitimate strides at the plate. His 15.7% strikeout rate was the lowest of his career while his .218 ISO was his best since his MVP season in 2019. He also posted his highest line-drive rate (26.4%) since 2020, reflecting a return to form.
With his all-around skill set, Bellinger is the type of player who should age gracefully. He can slide over to a corner outfield spot when he doesn't have the range for center anymore and should hit enough to ultimately man first base or DH if needed.
At the end of the day, Bellinger is too good and too valuable of a player to let walk away. The Dodgers surely regret letting him go, so the Cubs should avoid making the same mistake.
