Cody Bellinger rumors: Ranking 5 suitors as offseason slows to a crawl

Cody Bellinger had just about as good of a platform year as he could’ve hoped for. The 28-year-old bounced back in a big way following two horrendous seasons with the Dodgers and wound up finishing tenth in the NL MVP balloting while nearly leading the Chicago Cubs to an unlikely playoff berth.

Heading into this offseason, Bellinger was seen as one of the prized free agents out there. He was certainly the best outfielder available and was the best position player out there for teams to sign not named Shohei Ohtani. Despite that, Bellinger has received very little public interest and with pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in just a matter of days, he remains without a new home.

Bellinger is one of multiple MLB stars seeking massive contracts and generating little interest because of those asks. With Scott Boras representing him, who knows if and when Bellinger’s ask will come down? As the offseason continues to move at an unbearably slow pace, let’s rank some teams that can still conceivably sign Bellinger when he eventually does make a decision to sign.

5) The Blue Jays don’t make as much sense for Cody Bellinger as they once did

At one point this offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays made the most sense as a Cody Bellinger destination. They needed to add another outfielder, another left-handed bat, and more power to their lineup, Bellinger checked all of those boxes. After missing out on Ohtani, Bellinger to Toronto felt inevitable. Until it didn’t.

The Jays chose to pass on Bellinger for one of their outfield spots and instead sign Kevin Kiermaier to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. With Kiermaier back in Toronto, the Jays have a full outfield. Even with that being the case, Toronto could’ve made room for Bellinger with their DH spot open.

Putting one of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or George Springer at DH and playing Bellinger in right field or at first base made sense, but after signing Justin Turner, it makes less sense. Sure, Turner can play third base regularly in theory, but he’s 39 years old and had just seven appearances at the hot corner last season. He’s more of a DH now.

The Jays could still use Bellinger’s bat, but the fit just doesn’t make sense anymore. They did not give Kiermaier $10.5 million for him to be a fourth outfielder. With Turner also in the fold, it just feels extremely unlikely to happen.

4) It feels unlikely that the Phillies will splurge on another massive contract

The Philadelphia Phillies made one of the biggest moves of the offseason early on by re-signing Aaron Nola, but have done nothing of note since. They’ve watched Rhys Hoskins and Craig Kimbrel sign elsewhere, and have done nothing to improve their roster that just lost to the 84-win Diamondbacks in upset fashion in the NLCS.

Expecting the Phillies to be in on a guy like Bellinger especially after they gave Aaron Nola a massive nine-figure deal would probably be too much to ask for, yet Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently connected the two sides together, saying that “several executives think the Philadelphia Phillies could be a sleeper for one of the remaining marquee free agents in starter Jordan Montgomery or center fielder Cody Bellinger.”

If the Phillies were to sign a position player, an outfielder would make sense. They’re set with Nick Castellanos in right field, but center fielder Johan Rojas really struggled in the postseason offensively and left fielder Brandon Marsh just underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. Marsh is expected to be ready by Opening Day, but things can change.

Adding Bellinger to play center field and push the defensive-minded Rojas to a fourth outfielder role would make the Phillies just that much scarier. Can you imagine Bellinger in this Phillies lineup? As fun as that is to picture, it just feels unlikely.

The Phillies are paying eight different players $18 million or more in 2024 and have a Zack Wheeler extension to take care of. Adding another monster contract to the mix would be fun, and the fit makes sense, but it’s just hard to see happening.

3) Cody Bellinger can be the star the Giants have been waiting to sign

It’s no secret that the San Francisco Giants have been star-hunting the last couple of offseasons with players like Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on their radar, yet they’ve landed a grand total of zero stars. The Jung Hoo Lee signing was a good one, but he’s not at the same level as a player like Bellinger who has shown he can win an MVP.

The Giants can certainly use a big bat of Bellinger’s caliber to stick into the middle of their lineup which looks average at best following Lee. Players like Wilmer Flores, Michael Conforto, and Thairo Estrada have had success at the MLB level before, but Flores was their only player to hit 20+ home runs in 2023. They need more boppers.

While the Giants need to add a bat, their need to add a starting pitcher is arguably more pressing as there isn’t much there that they can realistically rely on after Logan Webb. If the Giants were to make another big move, it feels like that’s where they’d focus their attention.

Another reason to believe that is because the Giants happen to have solid outfielders. Lee is surrounded by players like Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, and LaMonte Wade Jr. who have all had MLB success in the outfield. The Giants signing Lee before Bellinger came off the board felt telling. It’s possible, but probably not going to happen.

2) The Angels need a big bat like Cody Bellinger after losing Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Angels lost Shohei Ohtani and have done nothing major to bounce back from that. They’ve improved their bullpen in a big way by signing guys like Robert Stephenson and Matt Moore, but they have yet to address their rotation outside of an underwhelming Zach Plesac signing, and the only position player they’ve given a MLB deal to is Aaron Hicks.

The Angels cannot realistically replace Shohei Ohtani’s production. That’s part of why he fetched a contract worth $700 million from the Dodgers. They can, however, still sign a middle-of-the-order bat like Bellinger to plus around a lineup that looks decent.

Mike Trout is still there. Brandon Drury was just a Silver Slugger finalist for a second straight year. Rookies Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, and Nolan Schanuel impressed in their short stints. Veterans Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo are solid contributors. Who knows, they might even get a little something out of Anthony Rendon this year.

Adding Bellinger won’t make the Angels a playoff team, but if they refuse to rebuild, he at least gets them closer to the conversation. A low-pressure environment that would have him reunite with a coach he’s very familiar with could be what’s best for Bellinger.

1) The Cubs remain the best landing spot for Cody Bellinger

Like the Giants, the Chicago Cubs have been linked to a bevy of impact players this offseason and have signed none of them. The Shota Imanaga signing was a solid one, and the Michael Busch trade can wind up panning out in their favor, but on paper, the Cubs look worse than they were last season. The addition of Craig Counsell should help, but losing Marcus Stroman and potentially Cody Bellinger would hurt. They can negate that by re-signing Bellinger.

The simple reality with Bellinger and the Cubs is Chicago needs his bat. The Cubs ranked sixth in the majors in runs scored in large part because of their best position player, Bellinger. He might not perform at an MVP level again, but he showed that he at the very least can perform like an All-Star, which the Cubs could really use.

Bellinger can play both the outfield and first base, and the Cubs have uncertainty at both spots. They hope Pete Crow-Armstrong becomes their full-time center fielder, but after the top prospect went hitless in 19 MLB plate appearances to begin his career in September, who knows how ready he is? They hope Michael Busch settles in as their regular first baseman, but he has a .539 OPS in 72 MLB plate appearances.

Expecting to win while relying on multiple unproven players is a risk the Cubs really shouldn’t take. The hesitancy to meet Bellinger’s asking price is very understandable, but they should absolutely be prioritizing bringing him back. That’s their best shot at competing with teams like the Reds and Cardinals in the NL Central.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as Cody Bellinger rumors: Ranking 5 suitors as offseason slows to a crawl.