Report: Cubs agree to 1-year, $17.5M deal with former NL MVP Bellinger
The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year, $17.5-million contract with former National League MVP Cody Bellinger, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Bellinger's deal contains a mutual option for 2024 that can be bought out for $5.5 million, according to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. He'll earn a base salary of $12 million next year.
Bellinger will look to rediscover his MVP form following his latest disappointing campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .210/.265/.389 with 19 homers and 68 RBIs for the 111-win Dodgers, a line that was the worst of his career in a season of at least 100 games played.
The Dodgers non-tendered him last month, a move that was expected but still surprising for a player just three seasons removed from winning baseball's highest individual honor.
Before his sudden downturn, Bellinger had exploded onto the scene in Los Angeles as one of baseball's brightest young stars. A key member of three Dodgers pennant winners and their 2020 World Series championship club, Bellinger edged out Christian Yelich for NL MVP honors with a monster 47-homer campaign in 2019.
But his production has waned since, especially after he needed shoulder surgery following the 2020 postseason. Over the last two years, Bellinger often looked lost at the plate, posting a .611 OPS with just 29 homers in 900 plate appearances. He's looked particularly weak against left-handed pitching, hitting just four homers off of southpaws since 2019.
If he's able to rebound, the Cubs will be getting a versatile player who could potentially slot into the middle of their lineup next year. Though he only played center field in 2022, Bellinger's a Gold Glove winner in right field and a plus defender at all three outfield spots and first base, the latter being a position of need for the Cubs.
The 27-year-old is a lifetime .248/.332/.487 hitter with 152 homers, 422 RBIs, and 62 stolen bases across six seasons with the Dodgers.
He also met with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants during his free agency.