MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger to Draw Interest from Yankees, Cubs, Giants, Padres in FA

In the midst of a fantastic rebound season for the Chicago Cubs, Cody Bellinger is likely to cash with a huge contract in free agency.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres figure to be the most aggressive suitors with the Cubs for Bellinger this offseason.

Nightengale noted Bellinger will likely be seeking a deal worth more than $200 million.

A deal of that magnitude would represent a huge reversal of fortune for Bellinger. His career had fallen off a cliff after winning NL MVP as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019.

Over his final three seasons in Los Angeles, Bellinger hit .203/.272/.376 with 41 homers in 1,032 at-bats in 295 games from 2020 to '22. He was dealing with shoulder injuries throughout the 2020 season that were made worse during his celebration after hitting a go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers announced shortly after the 2020 season ended that Bellinger had surgery to repair his right shoulder and would require 10 weeks to recover.

After his struggles in 2022, the Dodgers decided to non-tender Bellinger even though he had one more year of team control. He signed with the Cubs on a one-year deal worth $17.5 million that also includes a mutual option for 2024.

Scott Boras, Bellinger's agent, recently blamed his client's struggles during the 2021 and 2022 seasons on the Dodgers for how they handled his recovery.

"He was hurt, plain and simple," Boras told Nightengale on Aug. 27. "He has surgery, and the Dodgers asked him to play with a 35% strength deficiency, and then with COVID, he was deprived of the expert medical treatment. He didn't have the shoulder strength. You don't just go from a .900 OPS to a .500 OPS without understanding the impact of an injury. So, when he became a free agent, Cody told me, 'I want to go to teams that know me the best, and I want go go where people understand me."

Amid pushback to his comments from Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Boras walked back his comments by telling Harris there was "no wrongdoing" by the team.

While the Cubs would jump at the opportunity to pick up the mutual option, there's no way Bellinger opts in. He's hitting .319/.365/.546 with 22 homers, 19 stolen bases and 81 RBI.

After Shohei Ohtani, Bellinger is probably going to be the top free agent available. He just turned 28 on July 13 and has a generally high track record of success over the course of his seven-year MLB career.