Cody Bellinger was a force to be reckon with on a one-year, $17.5 million contract. The 2019 National League MVP got the opportunity to reestablish his value with the Chicago Cubs following his disappointing 2021 and 2022 seasons. Bellinger posted a .307/.356/.525 slash line with 26 home runs and 97 RBI in 130 games. Bellinger will likely receive votes for the NL MVP as he was Chicago’s top offensive performer. The 28-year-old Bellinger should be set up for a good multi-year contract in his second trip in free agency. He is the type of impact hitter any team will add this winter. It’s one fans are hoping for Chicago to keep for the long run.
Cody Bellinger Free Agency Destinations
Chicago Cubs
A change of scenery is what Bellinger needed. Leaving Los Angeles gave him a chance to be around a set of new coaches, teammates and a different environment altogether. Bellinger’s goal was to rebound to allow him to get back to the open mark this winter. He’s the clear #2 position player on the open market. However, the question now is whether or not Bellinger was a one-hit wonder on the North Side. It creates a complicated situation for the Cubs, who will face heavy competition for his services. Bellinger was xoming off mulitple injuries that saw his value decrease drastically. Chicago jumped in with the one-year deal, with hopes that he will stay on a long-term deal.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco will be one of the teams who are expected to the lead the market for Bellinger. They came close to winning the Carlos Correa sweepstakes last offseason. But, they expressed early interest back in September to pursue him this winter. His consistency is something the Giants have lacked at the plate, but there is enough outfield depth that the Giants don’t need him. He is a strong option ahead of LaMonte Wade Jr., and his former teammate Joc Pederson. The addition of Bellinger would be huge, especially for an outfield that ranked in the bottom five in WAR as a group. If he does sign with San Francisco, it makes for an intruiging situation where Bellinger will try to chase down his former team and rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York Yankees
New York will be looking for a slugger this offseason and could land the former MVP. The Yankees had a terrible offense, among the worst in baseball in 2023. While they had one of the top rosters on paper entering the season, it didn’t match up on the field due to injuries and inconsistent play. The Yankees outfield was terrible without Aaron Judge. They ranked 19th in WAR and 15th in wRC+ for the season. New York has been mentioned as a fit for Belling before the 2023 trade deadline. Chicago stood pat and held on to Bellinger for the stretch run. The Yankees will once again be interested and could look to use his services to improve the middle of the lineup. Bellinger would make the Yankees outfield much better and the same goes for first base.
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