The Los Angeles Dodgers made a somewhat surprising decision to non-tender Cody Bellinger this past offseason after a second consecutive year of struggles, allowing him to become a free agent earlier than anticipated.
Bellinger had been part of the organization since he was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Bellinger’s first three seasons with the Dodgers were successful as he earned National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 and the MVP Award two years later.
Since then, however, Bellinger hit just .203/.272/.376 with 46 doubles, 41 home runs and 134 RBI in 295 games over the past three seasons. Despite those struggles, the 27-year-old drew significant interest from teams before going on to sign a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Agent Scott Boras was surprised the Dodgers parted with Bellinger as he believed his client would spend at least one more season with them, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“The truth of it is until he was non-tendered, I really did not really have a lot of conversations with the Dodgers because I felt it was rather a matter of fact that he would continue with them because they had rights over him,” Scott Boras, Bellinger’s agent, said last week. “I had no idea that they would non-tender him.”
By non-tendering Bellinger, the Dodgers created a need for another outfield. The club passed on high-profile acquisitions in favor of depth signings, including Jason Heyward, Steven Duggar and Bradley Zimmer.
Heyward impressed in Spring Training and wound up earning a spot on the Opening Day roster. James Outman has also emerged as a key contributor in the outfield.
Scott Boras confident in Cody Bellinger
Boras previously expressed hope that a full offseason of strength training could help Bellinger get back on the right track.
To this point, Bellinger’s offensive inconsistency has largely continued with the Cubs but his production is improved. In 11 games thus far, he’s batting .238/.298/.405 with one double, two home runs and nine RBI.
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