Cody Bellinger, Dodgers agreed to one-year deal before lockout

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Cody Bellinger, Dodgers agreed to one-year, $17M deal before lockout

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 12/23/21

The Los Angeles Dodgers and 2019 MLB MVP Cody Bellinger agreed to a one-year deal worth $17 million to avoid arbitration on Dec. 1 prior to the league lockout, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Thursday.

Bellinger is coming off of the worst regular season of his career, slashing just .165/.240/.302 with 10 home runs as he bounced in and out of the lineup with various injuries. The 26-year-old rallied back in the postseason, however, hitting .353/.436/.471.

Over his five-year career, all played for the Dodgers, the Scottsdale, Ariz., native has hit .257/.346/.511 with 133 home runs, 354 RBI, 48 stolen bases and 364 runs scored on 546 hits.

Bellinger hit .165/.240/.302 in a rough 2021 but was excellent in the postseason. Some in the industry thought he could be nontendered, but he’ll return to the Dodgers and make $900,000 more than he did last year. Bellinger is due to be a free agent after the 2023 season.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2021

Had the Dodgers non-tendered Bellinger, he would have become a free agent.

Passan explained the deal was not announced because of the work stoppage, which is expected to stretch into the start of 2022.

The MLB and players' association reportedly met last week for the first time since the lockout started, ESPN said. However, major sticking points for the new collective bargaining agreement won't be negotiated until after the start of the new year.

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