Despite 2023 Comeback, Cody Bellinger’s Free Agency Future Raises Doubt Over Long-Term Form

In a brief 7 year career, Cody Bellinger has seen both peaks and valleys. Cody Love took the league by storm when he debuted, within 3 years he was the NL MVP and by the next year, he was a World Series champion. The sky was the limit but his fortunes took a turn – he fell quite spectacularly from the top.? The potential main man of the Los Angeles Dodgers regressed so rapidly that they non-tendered him in 2022. But then 2023 brought about a change that many hoped for but didn’t believe in.

Bellinger joined the Chicago Cubs a team man cursed thinking they had made a mistake, but Bellinger didn’t listen to the negative voices. He was a different person when the season began and looked like the star he once was. Game after game of improvement led to him posting his career-best numbers in the last season before free agency. Suddenly the undesirable again became the most wanted. However, some experts have doubts over the long-term prospects of this comeback. Can he sustain it?

Giants president’s comments reflect general sentiment regarding Cody Bellinger

Although the San Francisco Giants’ interest in Cody Love is not unknown, President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi’s latest comments have raised doubts. As The Athletic reported, Zaidi commented on how the teams generally study the potential of a player. He said, ?Any projection system you look at is going to sort of assume a certain level for the next season, and then have a pretty gradual flatline trend over time.?

?But we know in reality it looks a lot different than that. So, I don?t really have an answer. It?s a challenging question.? He finished.

It’s not an unfamiliar doubt – can the 2019 MVP sustain his comeback? To answer this one needs to go back to when things went bad and study why it happened. Bellinger’s habit of diving on his right shoulder led to his getting injured, which resulted in surgery in 2021. Though he returned, the slugger didn’t fully heal before he fractured his fibula due to an on-field collision. One might think that this was enough but when he returned for the third time, he fractured his ribs due to a collision.?

Bellinger had three major injuries pile up over each other in a single year. This resulted in his numbers falling off. It carried through to 2022, where although he didn’t have injury problems his dipped form continued. But what if this was a confidence issue as opposed to a talent problem? Because in 2023, in a changed environment, Cody Love went on a rampage and posted unprecedented numbers of his career. His bad stats were a result of injuries but now that he is healthy, why wouldn’t he sustain his good form? Many teams have kept that in mind as they target Bellinger.

Potential links for Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger is a Scott Boras client. So it’s a given that Boras will have ensured he has a lot of demand in the market. The biggest link for Bellinger is the team he had a comeback on – the Chicago Cubs. They are looking to go big to sign him and he too might want to stay in a place he knows he can excel at, although he’s currently opted for free agency.?

Read more – Amidst Fierce Off-Season Competition, Yankees Show Interest in Two Lefty Outfielders Not Named Juan Soto and Cody Bellinger

The New York Yankees are the other major franchise that is in desperate need of a lefty. Bellinger would fit them like a glove, making them front runners to sign him.

In the end, one thing is certain, teams are willing to take a risk with Bellinger owing to his past excellence. What version will the fans get to see next season? Well, that’s something that can only be known by April.

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