After a tough 2022 campaign, Cody Bellinger is set to become a free agent. The Los Angeles Dodgers are planning to non-tender the former MVP, who will hit the open market. Per Ken Rosenthal:
“The Dodgers plan to non-tender outfielder Cody Bellinger, making him a free agent, source tells The Athletic. Team could still re-sign him for less than his projected arbitration salary in the $18M range.”
This definitely comes as a bit of a surprise, but on the other hand, not totally unexpected. Bellinger hit just .210 last season in 144 games and despite providing solid defense in the outfield, he just couldn't find his footing at the dish. 2021 wasn't much better either, slashing only .165 in 95 contests.
As Rosenthal noted, the 27-year-old could still re-sign with LA but it would have to be less than the $18 million. To be honest, it's possibly a sad ending to Bellinger's six-year career with the Dodgers.
The 27-year-old won the Rookie of the Year in 2017 and just two years later, was named the NL Most Valuable Player, hitting 47 homers that season. Nevertheless, there should be no shortage of interest in Bellinger. The Toronto Blue Jays are already looking for a left-handed OF bat after trading away Teoscar Hernandez. The New York Yankees and even the New York Mets could be fits for him, too.
This is definitely a difficult decision for the Dodgers to part ways with Cody Bellinger, but it's clear he's not able to find that previous offensive brilliance in LA. A fresh start elsewhere looks to be the best option. We'll see what happens.
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