For the second straight offseason, the Chicago Cubs face the prospect of dealing with whether they can re-sign a highly-covered free agent on their own team.
For the second straight offseason, that highly-covered free agent could be the same player.
MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic ranked the Top 50 free agents entering this offseason and Bellinger’s name came up, just as it did last year around this time.
Bellinger, a two-time All-Star during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was No. 8 on Bowden’s board. The caveats this year are the same as a year ago, too.
Last year Bellinger put together his best offensive season since 2019, as he slashed .307/.356/.525/.881 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI. Going into that offseason his agent, Scott Boras, thought that finding his client a long-term, big-money contract would not be an issue.
So, Bellinger triggered the opt-out in his deal and hit the market.
But, it took until late February for Bellinger to get a deal done, and he ended up returning to the Cubs on a three-year, $80 million deal. It’s good money, but not the long-term security his agent was hoping for.
Bellinger earned a base salary of $30 million this season, per ESPN. But, the deal — like the one-year, $17.5 million deal he signed with Chicago before the 2023 season — comes with options and opt-outs.
If Bellinger doesn’t opt out after this season, he’ll make another $30 million with Chicago in 2025. If he doesn’t opt out after the 2025 season, he can make $20 million.
But, if he opts out after this season, he’ll slide into a market as a 29-year-old center fielder who has put together two solid offensive seasons in a row.
Through 94 games this season, he’s slashed .274/.333/.428/.762 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI. Like 2023, he’s dealt with injuries, too.
Bowden believes there is a big-money deal out there for him this offseason, assuming he opts out:
“…he will be the best center fielder available and his ability to play all three outfield positions, first base and DH increases his value.”
There are outfielders ahead of him on the list. New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto tops the list and the belief is the Yankees will do everything possible to re-sign him. Baltimore outfielder Anthony Santander is No. 7.
The situation for the Cubs is a bit different, too. Pete Crow-Armstrong is now nearly a year into his MLB career and his natural position is center field. His bat has not caught up to his highly-regarded glove — he’s batting .210 this season — but the Cubs might be ready to trade five years of control of his rights for an offseason of chasing Bellinger again.
