MLB rumors: Bellinger's other offers, Shohei's big secret, Third team gets in on Snell

Cody Bellinger had offers from more than just Cubs, according to his agent

Cody Bellinger reunited with the Chicago Cubs. Reports emerged that he and the team had finally agreed to a contract over the weekend, and the team formally announced the deal on Tuesday, with Bellinger re-introduced Wednesday.

The deal includes multiple opt-outs which allows Bellinger to retain complete control over his future open market prospects. He can enter free agency after any year in the three-year deal.

With how long his free agency went, and the fact that Bellinger wound up coming no close to the total value he was at one point rumored to be after ($250 million), one might think this was a bit of a "well, no better options" type deal for Bellinger.

His agent, Scott Boras, indicates that's not the case, telling the Chicago Tribune that Bellinger had several offers on the table (subscription required).

“If you don’t think Cody Bellinger had choices that were different than this …” Boras replied. “The fact of the matter is we did a contract, in collaboration with Cody and his desires, a contract that we knew was most important to us — that is the flexibility and the (average annual value).”

Whether or not you believe Boras's subtle claim that Bellinger had multiple viable options on the table is up to you. It's his job to tilt the narrative in favor of his client.

That said, I argued shortly after the contract was rumored that the Cubs did not get a good deal here. They gave up high AAV, as Boras notes, for a player that has had more bad years at the plate than good the last few years. If Bellinger plays even close to his 2023, he will re-enter free agency. If he performs poorly, he'll simply play out the contract. The Cubs bear a great deal of the downside of this contract.

Now, do I hate the deal for Chicago? No, not really. I think Bellinger will have a good year and the Cubs will enjoy him for this season, after which I think he will enter free agency and sign a multi-year deal elsewhere. I just don't think that the Cubs necessarily won just because they talked Boras and Bellinger down from a rumored $250 million total. There's a world in which the next few years of the deal pan out somewhat poorly for Chicago.