We’re two months into the 2024 season, which means greater than a 3rd of the schedule has already elapsed. Whereas there are nonetheless loads of video games remaining, there are sufficient within the books to have an effect on the market of the upcoming free agent class.
That’s notably true for gamers who can decide out of their present contracts. Participant ages are for the 2025 season.
Cody Bellinger (29): Can decide out of ultimate two years and $52.5M on three-year assure
Bellinger didn’t discover the $200M+ provide he was looking for final winter. As with just a few different high-profile Boras Company purchasers (extra on them in a minute), he pivoted to a short-term deal that allowed him to return to free company subsequent winter.
Bellinger is arguably out to the perfect begin of the bunch and appears on monitor to move again to the open market. He can earn a wage of $27.5M in 2025 or take a $2.5M buyout. If he decides to stick with the Cubs, he’ll then get to decide on between a $25M wage for 2026 or a $5M buyout.
The lefty-hitting middle fielder has a .265/.325/.459 line with eight homers over 203 plate appearances. His 15.8% strikeout price and seven.9% stroll proportion are on par with final yr’s ranges. Bellinger is once more succeeding regardless of a below-average 33.8% arduous contact price.
He’s not acting at fairly the identical tempo he did in 2023, however the general profile stays the identical: good contact expertise with the power to play middle subject and mediocre batted ball metrics.
It may arrange one other winter the place Bellinger’s exit velocities are the topic of loads of debate. Maybe his camp might want to decrease their asking worth within the early levels of his free company, however the preliminary determination to decide out could be a simple one if he continues at this tempo. He’d nonetheless be pretty younger for a free agent at 29.
Now two seasons faraway from his dismal 2021-22 manufacturing, he additionally wouldn’t be saddled with a qualifying provide. Bellinger obtained the QO final winter, so he can’t obtain one other in his profession.
