Cody Bellinger's Cubs Contract Due to Market 'Irregularity,' Agent Scott Boras Says

Cody Bellinger has a National League MVP on his resume, played at a high level last season and is just 28 years old, which made it notable when he agreed to a relatively team-friendly three-year, $80 million deal with the Chicago Cubs this offseason.

The contract features opt outs after each of the first two years.

"There are variables," Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, said, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. "We have some irregularity going on in this current market. We have close to 11 teams that are spending less money than they did a year go ... in light of the fact we have record revenues in baseball."

The comments suggest a robust market never developed for Bellinger.

There is something to be said about the lack of spending around the league, as 18 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball are spending below league average heading into the 2024 campaign, per Spotrac.

A number of notable free agents, including Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Matt Chapman, are also still available with the season right around the corner.

However, Bellinger is a unique case.

On the one hand, he is still relatively young with a resume that includes that MVP, a Rookie of the Year, a World Series crown, two Silver Sluggers, two All-Star selections and a gold glove. He is also versatile enough to play in the outfield or at first base, and he just slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Yet on the other hand, he has a history of inconsistency.

He slashed just .165/.240/.302 in 2021 and followed that with a line of .210/.265/.389 in 2022. That forced him to settle for a prove-it, one-year deal with the Cubs in 2023, and he delivered accordingly.

"I have to prepare Cody that this is what they're going to do," Boras said. "The likelihood of you getting what players with your skill set normally get is probably not going to be there. So you have to have another optimal plan. It includes a shorter term with flex.

"Free agency is like a turkey and a thermometer. You have to go in, see what the temperature is, evaluate it."

Still, the presence of the opt outs in the deal means Bellinger could be in line for a bigger payday next offseason. If he strings together two impressive seasons in a row, it could quiet any lingering concerns about his consistency.

He would also still be under 30 years old.

For now, though, Bellinger is returning to Chicago and will look to help the team win the National League Central.