In 2023, Cody Bellinger had the sort of comeback rarely seen in sports. In the past two years, his performance had dwindled to such an extent that almost everyone believed it to be an irreversible decline for the 2019 NL MVP. It resulted in the Los Angeles Dodgers releasing him in 2022. Then the Chicago Cubs decided to sign him and the rest, as they say, is history. After a massive season, Bellinger was given the Silver Slugger Award. Now a free agent, he’s looking for a big contract but will he find it?

Though Bellinger has returned to his best form, experts worry that this could be a false dawn. More importantly, they are not yet convinced that Cody Love can get a huge contract. With predictions going from one extreme to another, one wonders just what Bellinger will get.

Experts opinions vary on the contract amount for Cody Bellinger 

Cody Bellinger hit 26 home runs and had a batting record of .307/.356/.525. These are some of the best numbers in his illustrious career. With such an amazing comeback most fans believe that he’d command a big increase in his salary in his free agency. But the experts have a different opinion.

While they do agree that the 28-year-old will increase his salary, they do not know by how much. NY Post asked its experts about what they think the free agents will get in this year’s offseason. When it came to Bellinger, there was a huge variance in their predictions. The numbers were Expert 1: $220M, 8 years. Expert 2: $150M, 6 years. Me: $240M, 8 years. 

One expert went as low as $150M while the other went super high with $240M. Why is there such confusion regarding his valuation? The answer may not be so complex. It’s simply a result of data analysis.

Even though Bellinger had a good year as he was finally healthy after two years of injury problems, the league still has to go by past records. Forecasts are made using the data of old and that data doesn’t support Cody Love. His injuries in 2021 and 2022 were enough to derail his momentum. The bigger problem, however, is that those injuries happened because of how he plays. So the chances of them recurring are quite high, resulting in an equally high risk of signing him.

But it hasn’t stopped the pursuit of MLB clubs.

The potential destinations for Bellinger

The most obvious team for Bellinger is the Chicago Cubs. He knows their environment and has excelled in it. They helped him stage a big comeback. The North Siders are said to be going all in on Bellinger but is he ready to go back to Chi-Town?

Read more: Why Did Cody Bellinger See a Rapid Fall With the Los Angeles Dodgers? Who Was to Blame?

Then there are the New York Yankees. The Bombers are desperate for a left-handed outfielder after all of theirs, at once, underperformed in 2023. With ownership and GM Brian Cashman facing the heat from fans, Bellinger could be a statement signing for them. Whatever happens, the Bellinger saga will continue to bewilder baseball lovers until it’s settled.

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