HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! Cody Bellinger is back with the Cubs. LET’S GOOOOOO!
What an absolute midnight Jeff Passan bomb!
More details from Passan.
A huge shoutout to Lisa.
And how about our guy Kevin, who gave us this inside scoop earlier on Saturday night.
You just knew that once spring training games were starting that the big Scott Boras free agents were going to be getting anxious. Tom Ricketts, love him or hate him or anywhere in between, was right for publicly calling out Boras earlier this week for not having an actual negotiations with the Cubs and really any team. It was only a matter of time for Bellinger to come back to the Cubs on either a longterm deal or one of these short contracts with opt outs. Unfortunately for Bellinger, the market was not strong for him this offseason and a huge $200 million offer was never on the table for him.
For the Cubs, it’s a huge win. You get your star free agent and hopefully Bellinger proves that 2023 is going to be the norm from him and prove that his injury-plagued seasons were indeed a fluke. We’ve known all along that Bellinger loved his time with the Cubs in 2023 and maybe the two sides work out a longer deal down the road.
There’s really nothing not to like about this deal. The Cubs now have so much more roster flexibility, less to worry about and on paper are better than they were before getting this deal done with Bellinger. For Bellinger, he gets a high AAV and if he does opt out after this season, then that means he had another great year with the Cubs. If he doesn’t, then it’s not like the Cubs get burned on a longterm contract. It’s three years max and either way you hope that one of the other up and coming prospects establishes themselves as a valuable MLB player, who can take over in center or first base.
And hey, if the other Boras clients are feeling the pressure to sign, the Cubs should definitely be offering a similar deal because it just does not appear as though the huge contract offers are coming for Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell or Matt Chapman.
Great job Jed and Carter! Perfect terms of this signing. Perfect bridge to help these prospects. I feel this is great for all parties. Belli gets another year to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. If he does great again we have options to negotiate. Hopefully boras will start to act better with his relationship with the cubs now.
Glad to hear it. This is such a good move for the Cubs. It takes pressure off PCA, and it takes pressure off of Busch at first base, and they needed another bat. So yes, I know that Bellinger can opt out after one year if he’s so desires. But, lets worry about that after the year is over. For now, it’s a great move and I’d like to see the Cubs had a little more pitching, and they could use another bat. Neither may happen, but this move on its own, is a great move .
One thing I forgot to mention. This is a 4-in-1 deal. Great defensive player at two positions. Great to elite offensive player in all aspects last year. Great friend and team mate to boost morale. But most, as PCA said once, he spent a half-an-hour with me the first day in the Big Leagues and he didn’t have to do that. He is the mentor and role-model needed for all the young players. This is the value that sets him apart. He’s been the best as a rookie, been an MVP and suffered tremendous setbacks and yet, here he is.… Read more »
The best part of it is that with a little ingenuity, PCA doesn’t go back to AAA if he’s doing well in ST. Bellinger at 1st with Busch at DH and Morel 3B, PCA center. Mix and match daily based on the quality of pitching being faced. Bellinger’s splits against LHP were awesome last year, Busch I hear isn’t terrible against LHP, so PCA to the bench for a game while Madrigal goes to 3B and Morel DH. Obviously there’s more choices, but what’s encouraging is that there is a way for PCA or other prospects to make the team… Read more »