NEWSLETTER
The latest on Cody Bellinger keeps the Cubs in the conversation, but adds to a growing string of suggestions that it wouldn’t happen any time soon if it happened at all.
Here’s Jon Morosi on MLB Network:
When asked how likely a reunion with the Cubs would be for Bellinger, Morosi said that it was possible, but he thinks the Cubs “have other priorities.” Morosi still mentions the Cubs, Yankees, and Giants as the most serious three, but if the Cubs have “other priorities,” that seems to suggest they have preferred routes to take for their resources if they can. (Not a surprise, given that Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto are available, would be more impactful bats than Bellinger, and might change the Cubs’ calculus on how they want to proceed. It’s possible Pete Alonso is in that group, too.)
I think it’s worth keeping this in mind, together with two other things.
First, Sahadev Sharma has suggested that, if the Cubs are going to be involved in talks with Bellinger, it would more likely be if things dragged deep into the winter than if he signed soon. If a team pounced relatively early with a huge offer, the thinking is that the Cubs aren’t going to go nuts right now to be the top bidder.
Second, Jesse Rogers has said on the radio multiple times that he does not believe the Cubs are going to make a serious run at re-signing Bellinger, at least not in the early part of the offseason. In other words, what Morosi said seems to echo what Rogers has been saying.
Take the three together, and you’re starting to a get a picture: the Cubs may be happy to have Bellinger back in 2024, but PROBABLY only on a deal they see as having too much value to pass up, and PROBABLY only after they’ve sorted through some other offseason options.
