The reigning National League MVP, slugger Cody Bellinger, 29, has signed a contract that falls far short of his expectations, effectively making him a free agent.
MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, reported on Friday that “Bellinger and the Cubs have finally agreed to terms on a three-year, $80 million contract that includes an opt-out for each of the first two seasons of the deal. The Cubs and Bellinger are still going through medical tests and the deal has not been officially announced.”
Bellinger is a star player who won the National League MVP in 2019. At the time of his MVP win, he was batting .305 (170-for-558) with 47 home runs, 115 RBI, 121 runs scored, 15 doubles, and a 1.035 OPS in 156 games.
However, Bellinger’s numbers steadily declined after his MVP win and he was eventually released by the Dodgers as a non-tender after the 2022 season. After signing a one-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cubs, Bellinger rebounded last year, batting .499 안전놀이터 (153-for-49) with 26 home runs, 97 RBIs and an .881 OPS in 130 games. Bellinger, who became eligible for free agency after the season, was one of the biggest free agents in the middle infield, along with Lee Jung-hoo, who also tried to make it to the majors with Post. However, unlike Lee’s quick signing after being posted, Bellinger didn’t find a team for long.
Lee is one of South Korea’s best hitters,
Batting .344 (3476-for-1181) with 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, and an OPS of .898 in 884 career KBO games. In 2022, he had his best season in 142 games (553 at-bats, 193 hits) with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS, winning five batting titles (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and RBIs) and the league MVP award. In his last year in the majors, an ankle injury ended his season early, but he still managed to hit .861 with six home runs, 45 RBIs, and an OPS of .861 in 86 games (105-for-330).
After the season, he became one of the most talked-about free agents in baseball, signing a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco, the largest contract ever for a KBO player to make the jump to the majors, and the fifth-largest in franchise history, behind Buster Posey (nine years, $167 million), Johnny Cueto (six years, $130 million), Matt Cain (six years, $127.5 million), and Barry Zito (seven years, $126 million).
Unlike Lee, who came to the majors in a flashy fashion
Bellinger remained a free agent after failing to find a team by the time spring training and exhibition games began. With a career batting average of .258 (805-for-3126), 178 home runs, 519 RBIs, 529 runs scored, 82 doubles, and an OPS of .829 in 875 career major league games, as well as accolades such as National League Rookie of the Year in 2017, National League MVP in 2019, National League Outfield Gold Glove in 2019, two-time All-Star (2017, 2019), 카지노사이트 추천 and two-time Silver Slugger (2019, 2023), Bellinger was widely expected to sign a contract worth more than $200 million. However, as the season approached, Bellinger was forced to make a choice that was practically a free agent joke.
With Bellinger, one of the biggest free agents in the game, deciding to re-sign with the Cubs, it’s possible that Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Matt Chapman, who are still on the market, will be affected. As the Major League Baseball free agency market cools down, Lee’s deal will be re-evaluated as a more successful one.