The Chicago Cubs have announced that outfielder Cody Bellinger has been placed on the trading block according to reports decline accepting his player option a few weeks ago.
Cubs place Cody Bellinger on trade block and the Blue Jays could be interested
Bellinger recently accepted his player option with the Cubs which will be paying him $27.5 million for the 2025 season and has another player option worth $25 million in 2026.
Bellinger recently opted into his contract for 2025, which is scheduled to pay him $27.5 million. He also has a player option for 2026, which will pay him $25 million if he opts in. -Irle
Bellinger is coming off a solid season in Chicago where he had a .752 OPS with a .266 batting average and 18 homeruns and put up greta numbers in 2023 as well but has yet to return to the player he once was in 2019 as the NL MVP.
Bellinger is far from the MVP he once was with the Dodgers, but he's still much better than what the Braves currently have in left field. In 2024, he recorded a .752 OPS and 111 OPS+ (11% above league average), hitting .266 with 18 home runs. But the year prior, he had his best season since his 2019 MVP campaign, hitting .307 with 26 homers and an .881 OPS, which led to 4.4 WAR and a top 10 finish in the NL MVP race. -Irle
While whoever decides to take a chance on Bellinger and his massive contract will be taking on some risk since he has battled consistency issues throughout his career but if the Cubs hold onto part of his contract, this move could be a great one.
There's no question Cody Bellinger comes with significant risk for the club acquiring him. He's been the poster child of inconsistency over the last half-decade. But still just 29-years-old, the potential reward is also substantial. -Irle