Just before the clock struck midnight on the West Coast Saturday night, the Cubs and Cody Bellinger agreed to a new deal that will keep him in Chicago. He was a free agent longer than he probably wanted to be, but now he can focus on getting ready for the season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the news.
The deal is front-loaded with Cody Bellinger making $30 Million from the Cubs in each of the next two seasons. He can also opt out of the contract during the first two years. Whereas, in the third year he’ll only make $20 Million. Coming into the 2024 Free Agency Period, every sports media company had Bellinger in their list of Top 10 Free Agents. Some had him as high as No. 2 behind Shohei Ohtani.
His performance with the Cubs was enough to earn him a Silver Slugger award and a top-10 finish in NL MVP voting. Not only did he finish with the slash line listed above, but he also had 26 home runs and 20 stolen bases while splitting time between center field and first base for Chicago. He’ll likely split time between the two positions once again in 2024, but a majority of his playing time could come in center.
The two seasons where he hit below the Mendoza line played a factor in contract talks. They brought on some concerns because teams didn’t want to be stuck in a long-term deal with a dismal season like those two.
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