MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger latest, Alonso prediction, potential Kenley Jansen package

MLB Rumors: Latest on Cody Bellinger's free agency market

With Shohei Ohtani off the board, Cody Bellinger is clearly the best position player available. He's won an MVP in the past and just finished in the top ten in NL MVP balloting this past season. With that kind of resume you'd think teams would be aggressively bidding for the 28-year-old, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today is saying that that's not the case.

According to Nightengale, Bellinger is wondering if any teams besides the Chicago Cubs have serious interest. As fascinating as that question is, the answer might very well be no, which is shocking.

Teams like the Giants and Yankees who were expected to be potential Bellinger suitors this offseason added outfielders Jung Hoo Lee and Juan Soto respectively. They don't appear to be very interested. The Blue Jays felt like the easy Bellinger fit considering their need for offense, their vacancy in the outfield, and their desperation after missing out on Shohei Ohtani. Turns out, the Jays signed Kevin Kiermaier to fill their outfield vacancy and Toronto doesn't appear to be very interested anymore.

We know how good Bellinger is when he's right, but his lows are as low as his highs. That's a major issue. In the two years prior to his breakout this past season with the Cubs, Bellinger had an OPS+ of 65, making him one of the worst hitters in the game. Sure, he was elite on the base paths and in the field, but teams need the bat if they're going to pay him what he wants. The bat was great in 2023, but it could always revert back to being atrocious as it was the two years before.

The Cubs would love to bring Bellinger back, but only if the price makes sense. As of now it does not. A lack of other options for Bellinger likely means he'll have to blink before Chicago does.