The Milwaukee Brewers, like almost every season, are not the unanimous choice to win the National League Central Division. Heading into 2024 the St. Louis Cardinals have improved, the Cincinnati Reds have added some new pieces around their talented young players, and most recently the Chicago Cubs have made a significant addition by re-uniting with a player who finished 10th in MVP voting a season ago.
Cody Bellinger has re-signed with the Chicago Cubs.
This off-season Scott Boras has remained patient with a lot of his clients. Cody Bellinger is one of those players and he is coming off of a .307/.357/.525 season with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He was expecting a massive multi year contract north of $200 million. The offer that Bellinger was seeking never came and the 28 year old now is re-joining the Cubs on a three year, $80 million deal that allows him to opt out after each season.
What role might Cody Bellinger have with the Cubs in 2024?
New manager Craig Counsell, formerly of the Milwaukee Brewers, has already announced that he wants Michael Busch to get the first crack at first base, so initially this pushes Bellinger into the outfield to begin with. Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong figures to play a big role in center field this year in which he will be joined by Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. This could mean more reps at designated hitter for Bellinger given the way the depth chart has taken form.
Does Cody Bellinger signing with the Cubs give them the edge over the Milwaukee Brewers?
Last year the Brewers won the division by nine games. Milwaukee had 92 wins where as Chicago had 83. The division race was tight past the All-Star break extending a few weeks after the trade deadline, but the experienced Brew Crew didn’t falter in September and pulled away.
If Cody Bellinger of 2023 and 2019 (when he won MVP) shows up again in 2024 I would expect the divisional race to be tighter, but Bellinger has a track record of being inconsistent on a year to year basis. A lot will be riding on how Bellinger performs in 2024.
The good news for Bellinger is that his contract structure is advantageous to him in that if he puts up monster numbers again this year he can opt out during the off-season and again seek a massive contract. If he struggles then he has a home in Chicago for 2025 with a $30 million base salary.
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