MLB Rumors: Braves-Bellinger connection, Guardians manager frontrunner, Yamamoto buzz

MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger ranked as top Braves free agent target

The Atlanta Braves season ended in disappointment with yet another NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. It's clear the roster is good enough to contend — eight All-Stars and the most powerful offense of all time is no joke — but there's a missing piece. Maybe that piece is just... more offense.

In a ranking of the best potential free agent targets for Atlanta, Sports Illustrated scribe Lindsay Crosby points to Cody Bellinger as the third-best option behind Japanese superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, neither of whom is guaranteed to consider the Braves (or be within their price range).

"The 2019 MVP has seemingly rebuilt his value with a fantastic statistical year in Chicago, batting .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers, and is hitting the free agent market just months after his 28th birthday, looking for a long-term deal. I've personally still got doubts that he's back to his peak, as his underlying data isn't great - a 22nd percentile average exit velo of 87.9 mph, 33rd percentile chase rate of 31.0%, and a combined 27th percentile barrel rate (6.1%) and 10th percentile hard hit rate (31.4%)."

As Crosby notes, teams should be cautious about spending top dollar on Bellinger, who preceded his dominant Cubs renaissance with the two worst seasons of his career. He slashed .307/.356/.525 last season. In 2021, his final campaign with the Dodgers, Bellinger slashed .210/.265/.389.

One has to imagine his "normal" output probably falls somewhere in the middle, but Bellinger is still 28 years old and he's a former MVP. His peak, when he's there, is undeniable. It's simply a matter of whether or not he operates at that level on a consistent basis.

Bellinger is expected to command in the ballpark of $150 million. The Braves have a lot of mouths to feed financially — and perhaps some larger priorities than left field — but Bellinger is, without question, a major talent. If the Braves want to get bold, he's another potential slugger for opposing pitchers to fret about.