Cody Bellinger Update: 5 teams that are still in play for star outfielder, per Insider
As Spring Training inches closer, free-agent slugger Cody Bellinger remains on the open market. He is staying patient and looking for a big-time contract after a monster season in Chicago.
During a contract year, Bellinger appeared in 130 games for the Cubs, hitting .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs. It was a turnaround from his previous two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per Jon Heyman, five teams are interested in acquiring Bellinger this winter. Those include the Cubs, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.
For the Cubs, it makes perfect sense to re-sign Bellinger. He was incredible with them last season, and there is a shortage of positional players who could have a big impact if signed.
The LA Angels are another team where signing Bellinger would make a lot of sense. While they have a full outfield at the moment, that outfield has injury concerns with players like Mike Trout.
Some of the other teams mentioned could have trouble finding room for Bellinger. The Blue Jays signed Kevin Kiermaier earlier in the offseason, and they likely would not move Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off first base.
Cody Bellinger is in no rush to sign
Cody Bellinger is in no hurry to sign with a team this offseason. Given his monster performance last season, he is looking for the best contract possible.
Bellinger is represented by superstar agent Scott Boras, known to play the waiting game. He almost always gets the best contract for his players, and that likely will not change here.
According to Jon Heyman and Mark Feinsand, Bellinger is searching for a contract north of $200 million. That is quite a lot of money to pay somebody who recently looked like a shell of himself. Interested teams will have to do their research and feel confident that Bellinger has found himself once again at the plate.
All signs are pointing to the Cubs re-signing the All-Star slugger. It would certainly make up for such a slow offseason by the organization. The only major moves they have made so far are bringing in Craig Counsell and signing international pitcher Shota Imanaga.
Watch out for the Cubs to aggressively pursue Cody Bellinger over the next few weeks. Spring Training is nearly approaching, and time is starting to run out.