Is Cody Bellinger Worth $300 Million, After a 2023 Cubs Comeback Season Revived His Career?

2023 will forever be etched in the mind of a Cody Bellinger fan. After spending three years burdened by torrents of accusations following his disappointing performance during that period, Bellinger clinched the NL Comeback Player of the Year award this year. Still, does it give grounds for his current $300 million asking price in the free agency market?

Cody Love’s predicted contract values are facing a great sway of numbers, with $300 million serving as the highest markup for the slugger. Considering his recent history in the game, it might prove to be an issue for the player, which reflects the uncertainty a team might face while going after him.

Cody Bellinger’s performance is unstable in dependability but high in unrealized potential 

As BVM Sports likes to put it, Cody Bellinger’s “transitioning from ‘utter suckiness’ in Los Angeles to a resurgent 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs” led to a barrage of speculations forming around the slugger’s asking price. His adjusted OPS of 33% was above the league’s average for this year, earning him a 10th-place finish in the NL MVP voting. Not only that, hitting an impressive .445 on the balls indicates unsustainable luck in the hits batted by Bellinger.

Despite having a considerably low exit velocity, Cody Bellinger significantly improved his rate of zone contacts. This brings the next question in mind: is the said resurgence still justifiable enough for the $300 million tagline?

As of right now, various market reports expect the slugger to fetch a value anywhere between $170 million and $300 million. Despite the skewed observation of market values, Cody Bellinger’s coach, super agent Scott Boras, thinks the highest one is justified.

As he revealed to ESPN recently, “Cody had a great platform season.” It is quite a reasonable statement. Still, there’s a ghost of a chance to deduce whether Bellinger will keep this season’s form or dive back to the 2020–2022 period.

He might simply prove himself more capable than ever in the upcoming seasons. Especially after this year’s performance turned out to be a notable contrast against his disastrous past on the LA Dodgers team.

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The shadowed years of Cody Love’s career

From 2020 to 2022, the slugger, who once terrified the majority of pitchers in MLB, saw a huge decline in form following an injury-plagued period that led him to hitting as low as .165 to being struck out 150 times. He was not able to revert to his former self, much to the team’s dismay.

For the first three years he played for the Dodgers, Bellinger proved himself to be quite a heavy weapon to have in their arsenal of sluggers. However, his final three years in the team made way for bitterness between him and the same clubhouse that vouched for his dependability so much. 

Manager Dave Roberts admits that the inconsistent form portrays the uncertainty factor. “I wish we could have done more to support him and get some more consistency for him,” Roberts mused to The LA Times. “But sometimes you just don’t have any answers.”

It looks like the Cubs did find an answer just the following year. Considering that, it is evident that the ambiguity regarding Bellinger’s upcoming performances makes way for a dubious gamble of risks vs. potential as the bottom line of his free agency.

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