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Cubs land former MVP in hopes of career resurgence

By Rylie Smith

Oct 5, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Cubs have reportedly landed former MVP Cody Bellinger as they look to rebuild the roster toward their 2016-level of success.

The Chicago Cubs have unfortunately lost much of the success they worked hard to build toward in 2016, and as each season goes, they find new ways to attempt to rebuild it. This offseason, they appear to be doing so with former MVP Cody Bellinger as they’ve officially signed him, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Bellinger has had a rough time the past few seasons, particularly the past three seasons. In 2020, he was starting to show signs of decline but wasn’t quite in as rough of a spot as he was in the past two seasons. Over the past three seasons, he’s slashed .205/.279/.382 for an OPS of .661.

However, the three seasons prior, he was much better, slashing .277/.367/.560 for an OPS of .927. He had much more power than he does now, but the sudden decline could be attributed to an injury at the beginning of the 2021 season.

Only time will tell if he can pick his performance back up to his earlier days. Luckily, the Cubs made a smart move of only signing him for one year as they wait to find out.

Cody Bellinger contract details: Cubs take one-year gamble on former MVP

Chicago is playing it safe on Bellinger’s uncertain performance as they signed him to a one-year deal worth $17.5 million, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

It’s a big chunk of money, but they can afford to spend after cutting Jason Heyward and most likely losing Willson Contreras in free agency. If Bellinger can perform the way he did pre-injury, he’ll absolutely be a great asset to the team and will be worth every penny. If he proves to not be worth it, they’re luckily not required to continue investing in him for future seasons.

The Cubs still have some great players, including Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, so mixing in a few more could bring them much closer to the success they had in 2016.

Only time will tell, however, if Bellinger was the right move or not.

Next. MLB rumors: 3 things to watch at Day 3 of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings. dark

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