Cody Bellinger opting in hamstrings the Cubs to get better |
As the 2024 MLB season ends with a Los Angeles Dodgers championship, it’s pretty easy to say that this Cubs team could’ve played in the playoffs had they not blown 20 saves this season. But beyond that, it is evident that the Cubs are missing a true star in their lineup.
Ian Happ led the Cubs with 25 home runs and 86 RBI. Seiya Suzuki led the team with a .482 slugging percentage. The Cubs have not had a 30+ home run hitter since Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant eclipsed that mark in 2019. The Cubs haven’t had a hitter reach 100 runs knocked in since Javier Baez led the NL with 111 in 2018. The point is, while the Cubs lineup is very talented— they lack a potent star. Cody Bellinger was that star in 2023, especially in the back half. He won Comeback Player of the Year thanks to his 26 home runs and 97 RBI effort with a .308 batting average. However, in 2024, Bellinger was just solid — but he’s battled numerous injuries and failed to live up to the STAR mantra to which he’s getting paid $30 million dollars per year. Bellinger had 18 home runs and just 78 RBI on the year with a .266 batting average. Many speculated that Bellinger would opt out of his contract this winter, something the Cubs certainly would be prepared for, considering they have outfielders Ian Happ and Sieya Suzuki under contract, Pete Crow-Armstrong ready to be the full-time starting centerfielder, and prospects Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara, and Alexander Canario waiting in the wings. Not to mention a strong bench option in Mike Tauchman, who could be brought back as well. Instead, Bellinger decided to opt in for the second year of his three-year contract — meaning the Cubs will owe him $27.5 million in 2025. While it was a shock to some, coming off of an injury-riddled 18 home run, 78 RBI campaign — Bellinger and his agent Scott Boras must have realized that gathering almost $30 million per year on the open market was a tall task. So, now what? The Cubs now have to project Bellinger into their 2025 plans in some way, shape, or form. Ian Happ has won the National League Gold Glove in Left Field in the last three seasons, so it would be foolish to have Happ play anywhere else. Bellinger has played the most innings in his career in center field, but the Cubs have a newer, younger model in that position. Pete Crow-Armstrong has elite-level speed and plays as good defense in the center as anybody else in the league. That leaves right field, a position that Sieya Suzuki has occupied over the past several seasons but has not impressed defensively. When Suzuki, Bellinger, Happ, and Crow-Armstrong were all on the same roster, Bellinger played a lot of right field while Suzuki was the DH. That method could work in 2025. Bellinger is listed as a CF/1B, which means first base is also a top position of his. Whether in LA or with the Cubs, Bellinger has provided above-average defense in the infield at first — which could project him into first base plans for the Cubs. However, Michael Busch just finished a nearly 3.0 WAR season at first base, hitting 21 home runs and turning into a great defensive first baseman. That would mean the Cubs already have LF, CF, RF, DH, and 1B covered. What about the rest of the positions? Dansby Swanson enters 2025 in year 3 of a 7-year contract and will be your shortstop. Nico Hoerner is under contract as one of the league’s best second basemen. And the Cubs have extended club control of newly acquired Isaac Paredes at third. So, the Cubs have their entire defensive positioning set for 2025. One problem, that team only won 83 games in 2024. How do the Cubs take nine under-control position players and allow their top prospects, such as Matt Shaw, James Triantos, Caissie, Alcantara, and Canario, to come up and help the team while also getting enough at-bats to develop? What about this team’s ever-so-obvious need for a star? At what position do they go and upgrade if there is no avenue to playing time at any position? If the Cubs wanted Juan Soto or Pete Alonso or any number of the top free agents, they would make room for them. But what would that mean? Would that mean trading Bellinger? Would it mean moving Suzuki so Bellinger could DH? Would it mean moving Michael Busch after a strong rookie campaign to allow Bellinger to play first? Would it mean abandoning ship on Isaac Paredes after 3 months to put Busch at third and Bellinger at first? Those seem unlikely, but the Cubs must do something to improve. All of those questions remain to be answered, but one thing is for certain: Cody Bellinger's opting in does not make the Cubs worse—it just hamstrings their ability to get better.
