Cubs Will Have to ‘Loosen Their Belts’ to Keep Top Slugger Cody Bellinger

In an MLB offseason marked by the most lucrative contract in sports history, the Chicago Cubs stand at a $200 million crossroads, pushed to pay a substantial sum to retain the best lefty hitter on the market or risk watching him leave for a new team.

The Cubs reaped the rewards of Cody Bellinger’s National League Comeback Player of the Year season in 2023, with center fielder slashing for .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers and 20 stolen bases on a one-year, $17.5 million “show me” contract.

Bellinger signed at a relative discount after struggling toward the tail-end of his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers — slashing just .210/.265/.389 in 2022 after emerging as the rookie of the year in 2017 and National League MVP in 2019. But now that the 28-year-old appears to have found his old form, and seeks a long-term deal, he’s likely to command the type of contract that typically makes the Cubs balk.

“He is looking for a package well over $200 million, according to sources familiar with the situation,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported. “As [Bellinger’s agent Scott] Boras has said, ‘The Cubs got a full Belly [last season]. They’re going to have to loosen their belts to keep Bellinger.”

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Cody Bellinger Wants $200 Million This Offseason. Which Team Might Give it to Him?

As Bellinger explores the free agent market, there’s reason to believe his wish will be granted with a multi-hundred-million-dollar deal before Opening Day 2024.

The market for left-handed sluggers is drying up, particularly as lefty two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, signed a $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Just before that, the next most talented left-handed slugger in baseball, Juan Soto, found a new home with the New York Yankees. And just after, reigning Korea Baseball Organization MVP Jung Hoo Lee, a 25-year-old left-handed center fielder, signed with the San Francisco Giants for six years and $113 million.

That leaves Bellinger as the next best option for teams seeking left-handed power, and two primary suitors have emerged: the Cubs and the Toronto Blue Jays, which were in the running for both Soto and Ohtani. 

“Assuming Bellinger is amenable to playing in Toronto, the Blue Jays may have the edge over Chicago in several ways,” per Rogers. “They are already a contending team, having made the postseason each of the past two years. But they’re missing balance in their lineup in the same way the Yankees were before acquiring Soto. The Cubs are still in building mode, not necessarily ready to overextend themselves for one player.”

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With Bellinger, the Toronto Blue Jays Can Pick Up Where They Left Off in 2024

The Blue Jays are likely still reeling from missing out on Ohtani, a coup they had once seemed the favorite to pull off. But Bellinger could be enough of a bat to help them get over it and push deeper into the postseason than they have in years.

If he’s able to maintain or even build on his comeback performance in 2023, Bellinger would be a significant upgrade from the hitters who have left Toronto this offseason, including Whit Merrifield, Matt Chapman, Kevi Keirmaier and Brandon Belt.

Slated into a batting order that could put him in the three-hole after George Springer and Bo Bichette, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moved to the cleanup spot, Bellinger would have ample opportunity to produce even bigger numbers than he saw in an impressive comeback 2023.

That could be enough to push the Toronto Blue Jays past the AL Wild Card Series, where their playoff dreams died in 2023, 2022 and 2020.

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