Cubs rumors: How much left to spend on Bellinger? Pitcher whiff, Imanaga chase six years in the making, more

How much can Cubs spend on Cody Bellinger?

At Cubs Convention, Dansby Swanson said what every Cubs fan was thinking: The team needs to get Cody Bellinger back. The former NL All-Star joined the Cubs on a one-year deal last year to rebuild his reputation and parlay a pillow year into a longer-term, large contract.

Mission accomplished, as Bellinger's bat found the ball again after a few down years, culminating in a 133 OPS+.

The way the chips have fallen has been quite fortuitous for the Cubs. The Yankees, who once felt like the biggest threat to sign him, traded for Juan Soto. The San Francisco Giants, though to be another leading candidate for him, could still sneak in, but may have lost interest at this point.

It may just turn into a staring match between the Cubs and Bellinger/his agent Scott Boras. Someone has to blink.

So, if the Cubs decide that Swanson is right and that they need him back, how much do they spend? Well, they can really spend as much as they want to, but a quick look at how much they've spent and what the luxury tax limit is might give us some clues.

Since 2016, the Cubs opening day payroll has averaged at about 67 percent of the annual luxury limit. The Cubs are actually well above that limit now, with $189 million on the books and the limit being $237 million, they're at 79.7 percent.

If they want to run right up against the salary cap, they have $48 million to spend. It should not take nearly that much to acquire Bellinger. Something in the realm of $20-25 million per year should easily get the job done, and perhaps the Cubs can even go lower with so many teams no longer in the running.

It really all comes down to how much ownership and management want to spend. The team has gone as high as 94% of the luxury cap limit in prior years. For the right player and to set the team up to win, the organization will spend.