If the Cubs Pull Out, Is Cody Bellinger’s $300 Million Free Agency in Trouble?

Superstar slugger Cody Bellinger is having the best time of his life. He just finished the 2023 season on a winning note. Now, he is all set to step into the next chapter of his MLB journey with enough greens in hand. The player has an asking price of around $300 million tied to his name, per several market reports. Although this would be Bellinger’s last, best chance for a huge payday, the indications from his asking price imply that he intends to wait a considerable amount of time before finalizing any agreement. Will this pose a threat to Cody’s sweepstakes?

Cody Love has also garnered some deep interest from teams like the Toronto Blue Jays. His former club, the Chicago Cubs, is reportedly in the running as well. However, their recent inclination towards receding from the free agency contention for Cody Love might just prove to work out at the player’s leverage. Or will it?

Cubs’ decision to pull away from Cody Bellinger: yay or nay?

Per ESPN, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cubs, both falling short in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, are emerging as leading contenders for Bellinger. However, the Cubs’ intention of pulling themselves out of the Cody Bellinger sweepstakes will only leave the Blue Jays as the leading, and probably the only, team in serious contention. 

His former team’s exit might also prove to be a risky option to have in hand, as Cody Love will have less leeway with only one team in hand. On the other hand, the apparent unavailability of other contenders might make “the belle of the ball” the greatest catch ever for teams like the Seattle Mariners and the Blue Jays, who are still exploring the free agency market. For justified reasons!

Cody Bellinger won a Silver Slugger and an NL Comeback Player of the Year award for his exceptional performance this year. ESPN tags him as the “best left-handed production of any player left available.” His record of slashing .307/.356/.525 in 2023 is only heading towards an upward curve, as believed by his agent, Scott Boras. Why, one might ask?

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“Belle of the Ball” is bowling for big contracts

The slugger’s choice of cutting down on his swing to create a softer contact in two strikes caused Bellinger’s average exit velocity to come down to 87.9 mph, this season. It was the lowest of his career. It is only natural to expect him to deliver better, considering the phenomenal delivery he showed at such a low speed.

Boras’ expectation for Cody clinching a deal somewhere around the $300 million markup roots in the fact that contemporary players like Corey Seager and Bryce Harper signed for deals more than that amount with almost similar stats.

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Boras revealed a similar comparison to ESPN: “Seager got hurt in his platform season. Cody had a great platform season.” Whether that mentality will work out in Cody Bellinger’s favor or not will be decided by the ultimate offer he chooses to settle for.