Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger took a bet on himself this offseason.  After being non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers he signed a one year, $17.5 MM deal with a 2024 mutual option.  With how well the former 2019 MVP has performed this year there is no chance that his 2024 option is agreed upon.  Rather Bellinger will enter free agency for the second time and put his fate in the hands of agent Scott Boras.

How much Cody Bellinger will get on the open market is yet to be determined, but his .321/.368/.546 slash line with 20 home runs, 75 RBI, and 18 stolen bases is certainly helping his case.  Not too mention his agent Scott Boras has been making some bold claims in the media including one explanation for his previous down seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Scott Boras provides one explanation for the previous down-seasons from Cody Bellinger with the Los Angeles Dodgers and why he is thriving with the Chicago Cubs (MLB News).

With the Dodgers Cody Bellinger had a string of injuries, one of which resulted in shoulder surgery.  According to Scott Boras he played with a major strength deficit afterwards and didn’t get expert medical treatment.

“He was hurt, plain and simple.  He has surgery, and the Dodgers asked him to play with a 35% strength deficiency, and then with COVID, he was deprived of the expert medical treatment. He didn’t have the shoulder strength. You don’t just go from a .900 OPS to a .500 OPS without understanding the impact of an injury.”

This year there appears to be no weakness in regards to Bellinger’s shoulder.  Again per Scott Boras this change was noticeable as early as spring training by Cody Bellinger himself.

“I remember getting a call from Cody in spring training.  He said, ‘Man, this is how I remember it. The game slows down when I’m healthy. I just feel like myself again. For two years, I would see balls that I knew I could crush, but I would miss it or foul them off. I knew something was wrong.'”

The Chicago Cubs are currently in the midst of a playoff race and if the regular season ended today they would be in.  While Bellinger is currently focused on helping his team advance and make the post-season it also presents an opportunity for him to race his price tag this offseason even further.

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