The Chicago Cubs retained their center fielder and first baseman, Cody Bellinger on Saturday. He picked up his $27.5 million player option for the 2025 season and will not be a free agent, according to Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN. The move doesn't surprise many, as if he declined, he would've been a free agent.
Bellinger batted .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs on the year. He also played 130 games once again. Also, Bellinger opted out of his contract, to possibly seek a longer and more lucrative contract. After all, San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman secured a hefty contract for himself. Bellinger could seek an amount in that ballpark.
While Bellinger finished 10th in MVP voting the season prior, this season seemed like a step backward. Still, everyone knows Bellinger's potential and what he can bring. The Cubs star won the 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2019 National League MVP. Not to mention that he won two Silver Slugger awards. For an underperforming Cubs team, he's been consistent for them ever since he signed.
Can Cody Bellinger help the Cubs take the next step?
In his two seasons, Chicago has had the same record: 83-79. However, they went from David Ross to Craig Counsell as their manager and were expected to leap. Unfortunately for them, the Milwaukee Brewers ruled the NL Central once again. This time, they went from Counsell to Pat Murphy. The Cubs record isn't promising but they didn't have much help from their pitching staff.
The starting pitching was great but the relief staff. Their closer, Héctor Neris had only 17 saves, compared to the 46 games he pitched in. Still, it doesn't discount the lack of offense. Besides Seiya Suzuki, and Bellinger, no one else stood out offensively.
Questions circulated if Chicago should've used that money for another bat. Considering that Bellinger wasn't too consistent, $27.5 million is a hefty price tag. Also, his .266 average isn't one that Cubs fans will enjoy seeing. Regardless, the franchise feels confident in the 29-year-old slugger.
The option doesn't solve any problems though. It could be more chaotic if it's another underperforming. Before heading to the Windy City, he posted a .203/.272/.376 slashing line with just 41 total home runs. Luckily, Bellinger signed a prove-it deal with Chicago and ended up batting .307 that season. Maybe it'll be history repeating itself. Otherwise, it'll be a long 162 games for the Cubs fanbase and the organization.
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