Cody Bellinger's long free agency finally came to a conclusion early Sunday morning, with the All-Star outfielder reportedly agreeing to terms on a three-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He was the No. 5 free agent on Zach Crizer's top-25 list.
BREAKING: Centerfielder Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a three-year, $80 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Bellinger will receive opt-outs after each of the first two years of the deal. Bellinger, 28, returns to the Cubs after a prolonged free agency.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 25, 2024
Bellinger, 28, is landing right back with the Cubs after turning in a dynamite season for them in 2023. He hit .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, finished 10th in National League MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger Award. It was the comeback season he needed to reestablish himself as an offensive threat and show he could be a positive addition to any MLB lineup.
You can't have a comeback season without first having something to come back from, and Bellinger's last few seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers were exactly that. In six years with L.A. (he was drafted by the Dodgers in 2013), Bellinger went from being the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP to having the lowest on-base percentage in the league and an average barely above the Mendoza line in 2022.
Some of that was due to injury. He had a shoulder issue that required surgery in late 2020 and continued to bother him through the 2021 season. He sustained a hairline crack in his fibula after a collision in April 2021 that caused him issues even after he returned from rehab, and later in the season, he fractured a rib in another collision. His .165/.240/.302 batting line was a career low, but a breakout in the playoffs caused optimism for 2022.
Still, Bellinger's 2022 didn't go much better. He avoided injury and played 144 games, but his bat was cold all season. He ended the year hitting a dismal .210/.265/.389 and became a free agent for the first time after the Dodgers decided not to offer him a contract.
That's where the Cubs came in. Bellinger signed with them in December 2022 and hit the ground running in 2023. He batted .271 through May 15, then missed a month due to a knee injury. When he returned in mid-June, he immediately went to work raising his average, and after July 14, it didn't drop below .300 again. He appeared to be back to the Bellinger everyone remembered.
And that's the Bellinger the Cubs want back. That's the Bellinger the Cubs need back. Their most significant move this offseason before now was snatching manager Craig Counsell from their National League Central rival Milwaukee Brewers. They needed a big on-field addition, and now they've finally made it. And fortunately, he's already familir with the Cubs so he can hit the ground running in Spring Training.
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