Jed Hoyer said the Cubs made “a lot of offers” to free agents on Monday, and they’ve now made their first significant roster addition of the winter.
The Cubs have agreed to a one-year deal with former Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, NBC Sports Chicago’s Gordon Wittenmyer confirmed.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal is for one year and is valued at $17.5 million. Bellinger was expected to earn $18.1 million next season in his final year of arbitration.
Outfielder Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million deal, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 6, 2022
Left-hand hitting and midfield have been among the Cubs’ biggest needs this winter, certainly the latter with top prospects Brennen Davis and Alexander Canario both suffering injury-related setbacks in 2022
It’s a fresh start for Bellinger, whose agent Scott Boras said earlier in the day he has multi-year offers on the table but is aiming for a one-year deal.
The 27-year-old Bellinger was not drafted out by the Dodgers last month after two underperforming seasons attributed in part to injuries.
He spent his first six seasons with Los Angeles and burst onto the scene in 2017 when he won NL Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star and finished ninth in the NL MVP voting.
He put together a stellar 2019, winning NL MVP after hitting .305/.406/.629 with 47 homers and 115 RBIs for the Dodgers. He also earned his second All-Star nomination that season and took home his first Gold Glove, where he received the honor of outfielder.
In the 2020 60-game season, Bellinger dislocated his right (non-throwing) shoulder while hitting a home run in the NLCS. It required surgery and he hasn’t performed well ever since.
Over the past two seasons, he’s holding a .193/.256/.355 slash line with 29 homers and 104 RBIs in 239 games.
But with his pedigree, he could be a classic chance-of-scenery guy and is a bounce-back contender in 2023 provided his injury woes are behind him. And along with his bat, Bellinger is known to be a good defender and baserunner.
“He’s good,” Bellinger’s Cubs manager David Ross said at Tuesday’s winter meetings. “Former MVP. He has a track record and a dynamic defense.
“I remember when he first came into the league, first base, smooth hands. Dynamic midfielder, great outfielder. Didn’t have the success he had early on but definitely has a lot of potential for a great player.”
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