Free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger has yet to find a team this offseason. It’s been reported now that his asking price is quite lofty.
MLB reporter Jon Heyman said that the going rate for Bellinger, at least from his camp, is reportedly north of $200 million.
MLB Trade Rumors, via the New York Post, wrote about Bellinger’s demands.
With superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani now off the board after signing on with the Dodgers, the market has seemingly begun to come into focus for center fielder Cody Bellinger, the clear #2 position player on the free agent market this offseason. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Bellinger and agent Scott Boras are seeking “$200MM plus” in contract talks this winter.
The former National League MVP went through a brief but shocking decline out in Los Angeles. He didn’t look like the player that won the award at all, which led to the Dodgers backing off. Cody wound up with the Chicago Cubs and enjoyed a resurgence in 2023. He OPS’d .881, the highest OPS he’s recorded since his MVP season in 2019. He also hit .307 and recorded an on-base percentage of .356. Bellinger also hit 26 home runs and received some MVP votes.
The belief, obviously, is that the down years for Bellinger were a mirage. What everyone saw in 2023 would resemble a 200-million-dollar player. It’s just a matter of if that thought is consensus.
We’ll see who winds up scooping Cody Bellinger up in free agency.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022