The Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered Cody Bellinger last week to make him a free agent after another subpar season. The team also opted not to tender contracts to Edwin Ríos and Luke Williams.
Bellinger was set to go through the arbitration process for the fourth and final time of his career. He made $17 million this past season and was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive an $18.1 million salary for 2023.
Bellinger hit .210/.265/.389 with 27 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 68 RBI over 144 games this past season, which represented a slight improvement from last year, but his walk rate and strikeout rate continued trending in the wrong direction.
Although Bellinger is now a free agent, he can still re-sign with the Dodgers. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman hopes that is the case so the organization can help him return to his previous form, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“We feel like with our staff and resources that, getting him to work this offseason, we have a real chance of working with him to help get him back on track,” Friedman said. “But he gets to go out and make the best decision for him and his family and we’ll see where that ends up.”
While the Dodgers would like to retain Bellinger, he has already received interest from multiple teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays, among others.
And even with his recent struggles at the plate, Bellinger has continued providing value with elite defense and baserunning. Those qualities, coupled with the fact that he is only three years removed from winning the 2019 National League MVP Award, make it easy to see why teams are so eager to sign him in free agency.
Cody Bellinger received multi-year contract offers
Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, revealed his client has received multi-year contract offers that are likely to be declined.
Boras believes Bellinger would benefit by signing a one-year contract this offseason, reestablish his value and enter free agency again next year.
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