After Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers Switch, Will Cody Bellinger’s Market Value Soar as Blue Jays and Cubs Enter the Arena?

Now that the massive shadow of Shohei Ohtani’s free agency has been lifted, the market can officially start functioning. Due to the two-way phenom’s sweepstakes, teams weren’t focusing on other players, especially the positional ones. One of the biggest casualties of this was the free agency of Cody Bellinger. But with the Dodgers getting their hands on the 2x unanimous MVP, the other suitors must look elsewhere, which can benefit Bellinger.

Cody Love’s massive comeback last year should have ideally turned him into a highly demanded player, but nothing of that sort has happened till now. Either because of Shohei Ohtani’s free agency or due to the unfavorable past few years of Bellinger, things haven’t looked ideal for the 2019 MVP.

The end of Ohtani’s sweepstakes can benefit Cody Bellinger

Even though Cody Bellinger is a client of super agent Scott Boras, his free agency has been a whiff. Few teams have approached him, and even fewer are ready to give him a massive contract, and it’s for a simple reason. What if last year was an anomaly and Bellinger slips back to his imperfect form?

Additionally, the presence of Juan Soto in the trade market made Bellinger less attractive while Ohtani’s free agency took away his potential teams’ attention. Now both of those players have gotten their deals, leaving Bellinger as numero uno in the positional players’ list. He can certainly take advantage of this situation.

The Chicago Cubs were after Ohtani for a very long time, but their interest in Bellinger never waned. Now that Shotime had slipped through their hands, they wouldn’t want to let Cody Love go. Still, they’re willing to wait, hoping to see if Bellinger lowers his demands. However, there is a slight problem in this scenario.

Read more: Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger Reunion Unlikely, but a Ray of Hope Remains Amidst Crucial Off-Season

Patience is not a strong suit for the other teams. The Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants are desperately after star players. The Blue Jays will especially want to forget the Ohtani chapter by signing a big star. Both teams can drive his price upwards but what if it’s already too high?

Cody Love’s high expectations might be counter-productive

Reports have ranged from $150 to $200 million for Cody Bellinger. He’s currently 28 and has a large injury history behind him. Coupled with how bad his 2021 and 2022 were, this price seems high. There’s a consensus that he may not get a long-term deal and this amount for a short-term deal might be too high.

Teams not only worry that last year’s performances were motivated by his motivation for an enormous deal but also have seen his below-average hitting stats. There’s no denying that he still has a massive potential, but getting him on the team would be a risk.

Things are getting interesting now in the Bellinger saga.

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