The weekend brought some great news for Chicago Cubs fans.
It took the whole winter and some of the spring, but they were finally able to re-sign slugger Cody Bellinger.
The center fielder put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth $80 million.
The pact will also include opt-out clauses after each of the first two seasons.
The former NL MVP award winner was the best player on a Cubs team that was one game away from making the postseason.
Chicago has acquired a top manager in Craig Counsell and employs talented hitters like Christopher Morel, Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, and Dansby Swanson.
None of them, however, carries the kind of offensive upside Bellinger has.
He was so good with the Cubs last year that he entered an elite group of hitters.
“Players to hit .300, 25+ HR and have 20+ SB in 2023: Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger,” the Cubs’ regional broadcasting partner, Marquee Sports Network, tweeted.
Players to hit .300, 25+ HR and have 20+ SB in 2023 🔥
Ronald Acuña Jr.
Freddie Freeman
Shohei Ohtani
Cody Bellinger pic.twitter.com/UFKhtNZ7qc— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 26, 2024
It might seem basic, but nowadays, it’s hard to find contact, power, and speed in the same player.
The four players that comprise that elite group have something in common: each of them has won at least one MVP award in their career.
Now that the Cubs have Bellinger, they are probably the favorites to win the NL Central.
In 2023, the left-handed hitter posted a .307 batting average, a .881 OPS, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
If it wasn’t for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves contributing multiple MVP candidates each, Bellinger would have had many more votes.
He had a wonderful years and is still in his prime, so it’s a solid deal for the Cubs even if they risk getting him for just one year.
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