Cubs Bring Back Cody Bellinger on a Three-Year, $80 Million Deal
One of the high-profile Scott Boras clients has finally found a team. The Chicago Cubs and Cody Bellinger have agreed on a three-year, $80-million contract. After last season, the 28-year-old opted out of his $25 million option with the Cubs, given that he expected to make more than that on the open market. However, the market has been relatively slow this offseason regarding team spending (except for the Dodgers). So, while the overall number might seem low, Bellinger was still able to get a deal with a good enough money value that also allowed him flexibility. The three-year contract has two opt-outs, one coming after each of the deal's first two years. Bellinger will be getting $30 million this season, and then he will be entitled to $30 million next year and finally $20 million for the 2026 season. Bellinger had an outstanding 2023 season in Chicago, where he turned his career around at the plate after struggling in his last couple of years as a Los Angeles Dodger. He slashed .307/.356/.525 in his one season in Chicago, and his consistency at the plate, along with his above-average defense at both first base and centerfield, put him 10th in National League MVP voting and got him the Comeback Player of the Year along with a Silver Slugger award last season.
Bellinger played a massive role in the Cubs' turnaround in the second half of last season. Chicago was assumed to be left for dead in May and June, and the public narrative was expecting Chicago to ship off their impactful pending free agents like Bellinger and Marcus Stroman at the deadline. However, Bellinger and the Cubs got hot at the perfect time, right before the trade deadline, which not only prevented the Cubs from being deadline sellers, but they actually became buyers when they traded for Nationals' third baseman, Jeimer Candelario. The season ended on a sad note for the Cubs last season, but with the addition of Bellinger returning to anchor a lineup littered with young talent, the Cubs look to be in a good spot with the 2024 season on the horizon.
Bellinger will fit perfectly into a young Cubs lineup that, while very balanced, desperately needed a true power bat. The Cubs have excellent table setters that can move around at the top of the order, with guys like Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ. Chicago will now look to have most of their pop come from Bellinger from the left side and a combination of Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel from the right side. The addition of Bellinger to the Cubs’ lineup lengthens it. It will make it much more dangerous for opposing pitchers to navigate, especially with one of the best managers in baseball putting the lineup together daily in Craig Counsell. Assuming Bellinger opts in for the entire three-year contract, the Cubs could be set up for a win-now window over the next 3-5 years. The Cubs currently have seven of MLB’s top 100 prospects, which is the most of any team in baseball, and a handful of them are expected to make an impact this season, like outfielders Pete Crow-Amrstrong and Kevin Alcántara and pitcher Cade Horton. With a current lineup capable of winning now and prospect help on the way, the addition of Cody Bellinger is precisely what the Cubs needed to make them a serious contender in the National League.
