Center fielder Cody Bellinger and the Cubs have agreed to a three-year, $80 million contract, sources told ESPN, adding that center fielder Cody Bellinger is on a long-term deal to return after the impressive 2023 season in Chicago. Free agency has come to an end.
Bellinger, 28, will have opt-outs after the first and second years of his contract, according to sources. According to sources, he will receive an annual salary of $30 million this season, $30 million in 2025 (if he does not opt ​​out after the first year) and $20 million in 2026 (if he does not opt ​​out after the second year). It turns out.
After a season in which he hit .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs, Bellinger became a free agent in hopes of receiving a big contract. A solid market never materialized, and Bellinger followed a similar path to Carlos Correa, who shares Scott Boras' agent.
Before the 2022 season, Correa signed a three-year, $105 million contract with Minnesota when no team offered him a long-term deal that he deemed worth signing. Correa opted out after his first season and returned to the Twins on a six-year, $200 million contract after his contracts with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets were terminated due to medical issues. Bellinger's contract is pending a physical.
In 2023, Bellinger improved during a healthy season and won the National League Player of the Year award. Bellinger, who finished 10th in the National League MVP voting, cut his strikeout rate by almost half from the previous season and proved to be excellent against left-handed pitchers, hitting .337 with an OPS of .984. was recorded.
Before joining the Cubs, Bellinger had two down seasons after suffering a lingering shoulder injury in the 2020 playoffs. And even though Bellinger posted the lowest average exit velocity of his career (87.9 mph) in 2023, he often dropped his swing for two strikes and avoided strikeouts while making soft contact. He hit .279 with two strikes, and his whiff rate plummeted to a career-low 15.6%, second in baseball behind Luis Arraez.
Bellinger returns to a Cubs team that has been patiently waiting for the free agent market, which still includes National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, World Series star Jordan Montgomery and All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman. do. After signing left-hander Shota Imanaga to a four-year, $53 million contract, the Cubs added reliever Hector Neris to a one-year, $9 million contract. Chicago also traded for former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Michael Bush, who will compete for the first base spot.
Bellinger can play on the wing or in center field, and the Cubs recognized his versatility last season by using him in the outfield 84 times and in the infield 59 times. He established himself as a two-position star with the Dodgers, winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2017 and leading the National League in 2019 with a .305/.406/.629 batting average. He was named an excellent player.
His form declined during the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the coronavirus, and he worsened even further in 2021, hitting .165/.240/.302 with 10 home runs in 95 games. With his health still in question during the 2022 season, he hit .210/.265/.389 with 19 home runs in 144 games, but was non-tendered by the Dodgers that season.
Bellinger went to Chicago for $17.5 million, acquiring a silver slugger, opting out of this season's $25 million option and entering a market that promises a top-notch hitter. General managers decided the initial price was too high, and with Bellinger remaining on the market, fewer teams were willing to spend money.
Teams have cited uncertainty over local TV rights as a driving force behind spending. Other than the Dodgers, who spent well over $1 billion, no team has spent more than $200 million in free agency.
ESPN's Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.