MESA, Ariz. — At some point during a long offseason, Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, realized they might have to let go of their desire for a long-term contract and instead sign something with more flexibility.
With that in mind, the former MVP signed a three-year, $80 million contract to return to the Chicago Cubs with the opportunity to opt out and become a free agent again after each of the first two seasons.
Flanked by Boras and Cubs president Jed Hoyer during a news conference Wednesday to announce his return, Bellinger, 28, was asked how closely the offseason played out compared to what he expected. He deferred the question to Boras and turned to his agent for an answer.
“There are variables,” Boras said. “We have some irregularities in this current market. We have about 11 teams that are spending less money than they did a year ago … in light of the fact that we have record revenues in baseball.”
But even Boras seemed to indicate that he knew there would be question marks from teams about Bellinger, regardless of spending trends.
Before producing an .881 OPS in 2023, Bellinger had two down years in 2021 and 2022 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .165 and .210, respectively. Much of that poor production could be attributed to a shoulder and foot injury, according to Boras. But teams either didn't accept the injury factor or simply chose not to spend the money.
Bellinger was asked again if he thought he would have a long-term contract when the offseason began.
“There's definitely that thought,” he said. “Ultimately, that's the goal. At the end of the day, I'm really excited about how everything turned out. Yeah, obviously [long term]but with this [I’m] excited about everything and happy to get started.”
Hoyer indicated that he and Boras began talking about another contract with Bellinger last July, but the team opted out of discussions about that longer-term deal. When Bellinger was ready for something different, the parties came together.
“In any negotiation, there's a misperception that we're just throwing offers at each other,” Hoyer said. “We talked a lot about what each side wanted. Over the last five to seven days, we aimed for an agreement that made sense for both sides.”
Boras added, “I have to prepare Cody that this is what they're going to do,” regarding the teams' lack of long-term offers. “The probability of you getting what players with your skills normally get probably won't be there. So you have to have another optimal plan. Include a shorter time frame with flexibility.
“Free agency is like a turkey and a thermometer. You have to go in, see what the temperature is, evaluate it.”
Their evaluation determined that there were no long-term offers. Instead of signing something in the middle, Bellinger and Boras chose the shorter route and another shot or two in free agency.
Boras was then asked if he had any more press conferences planned, considering he still has several players available on the free agent market, including pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell, along with third baseman Matt Chapman. He turned to Hoyer for that answer, but only laughed.
“I never put the final nail in that,” Hoyer said, referring to the Cubs' offseason. “Things come up all the time.”
Boras indicated that Montgomery has been training at facilities in Florida and that Snell has been in California. He said both would be ready for the regular season no matter when they sign.
“We can duplicate what they do in spring training,” Boras said.
Meanwhile, Bellinger's signing brings the Cubs' payroll close to the first tax threshold of the $237 million competitive balance. Any additional signing would likely put them above that figure. As Hoyer indicated, they could be done after adding back a valuable left-handed bat who can play Gold Glove-caliber defense in center and first base.
“I didn't hide the fact, internally, that I wanted to come back here,” Bellinger said. “I love Wrigley Field. I love the fans. As it neared the end, this was definitely something I wanted. And both sides agreed. Happy it worked out the way it did.”
