10-year long-term contract possible.”
Cody Bellinger (28) completely escaped from slump. Following his comeback, he is aiming for a big hit by qualifying as a free agent (FA) player.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, announced on the 4th (Korean time), “Bellinger declined the 2024 mutual option with the Chicago Cubs.”
Bellinger signed a one-year contract with the Cubs for $12.5 million (16.4 billion won) after being released as a non-tender from the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2023 season.
He agreed to receive $25 million (32.8 billion won) in a mutual option in 2024. The buyout is $5 million.
Therefore, Bellinger, who declined the option, pocketed $17.5 million (about 23 billion won) and found a new team.
Bellinger recorded a batting average of 0.307, 26 home runs, 97 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.356, a slugging percentage of 0.525, and an OPS of 0.881 in the 2023 season. He missed a month due to a left knee injury, but finished with good results.
Previously, Bellinger won the Rookie of the Year award with a batting average of 0.267, 39 home runs, and 97 RBIs in his first year in a Dodgers uniform. Then, in the 2019 season, he won the National League MVP award with a batting average of 0.305, 47 home runs, 115 RBI, and an OPS of 1.035.
Up until this point, I thought Bellinger would be on his way to victory.
The decline continued from the very next year. It was on a downward trend for three seasons from the 2020 season to last year. His batting averages over three years were 0.239, 0.165, and 0.210. Of course, his home runs also plummeted. He hit 12 home runs -10 home runs and -19 home runs. His OPS, which was over 100%, fell to 0.788, 0.542, and 0.654.
He finally came back to life after three years of slump. As a result, Bellinger won the Comeback Award.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted, "Bellinger is ranked second in this free agent market. The contract period may be close to 10 years or exceed 10 years."
According to the media, the Cubs are expected to present a qualifying offer of $20.325 million to Bellinger. But Bellinger is certain to say no.