Cubs better pray that Cody Bellinger offseason prediction comes true

Cody Bellinger has restored his value with the Chicago Cubs after a relatively brutal final few years of his stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The turnaround has prompted many to wonder whether he'll exercise his opt-out clause for the 2025 MLB campaign or test free agency.

Bellinger can hit the open market either this offseason or next. The three-year, $80 million contract he signed with Chicago last winter includes player options in 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, the club should hope the slugger stays put, considering they'd be hard-pressed to replace his production and versatility. Thankfully (for the Cubs), Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly suspects that will be the case.

Kelly predicts that Bellinger will elect to collect his $27.5 million annual salary to remain with the Cubs next year. Weighing the pros and cons, he believes the 29-year-old will eventually decide to stick around in Chicago — for at least one more season.

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Cubs better pray that Cody Bellinger exercises his 2025 player option

As Kelly points out, Bellinger "wouldn't have a qualifying offer attached to him" if he prefers to explore alternative landing spots. So, the Cubs wouldn't receive any draft capital if he happened to sign elsewhere. Moreover, the team still owes him $2.5 million if he opts out of his current pact. Overall, that'd be a highly unfavorable situation for Chicago.

While Bellinger had a decent 2024 season, he didn't match his lofty numbers from the prior campaign. He batted .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, 78 RBIs and nine stolen bases across 516 at-bats. Kelly suggests the two-time All-Star could command a more sizable payday next offseason if he remains patient and returns to 2023 form.

How Bellinger proceeds in the coming weeks/months will considerably impact Chicago's short and long-term outlooks. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office presumably find themselves praying he'll be back.