Cody

Bellinger

Bellinger exercised his player option following the 2024 season, which means he will be playing on a one-year, $27.5 million deal in 2025. The 29-year-old regressed following his resurgent 2023 season and finished this year hitting .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and nine steals in 130 games. Rosenthal also added that the team is expected to have some trouble trading Bellinger since the veteran can also opt in for another $27.5 million season in 2026, so he’s not really on a one-year deal. Given that he was slightly above league average in 2024, teams may be hesitant to pay that much money over two years if they don’t feel he can get back to his 2023 form.

Bellinger surely could have gotten a multiyear deal as a free agent, but probably not one that would have paid him the $27.5 million this guarantees him. He also has a $25 million player option for 2026, so he has the security of a two-year pact anyway.

Bellinger had an RBI single in the first inning and then laced a three-run triple in the sixth to break the game open. The 29-year-old is now up to 77 RBI on the season in what has been a solid effort but one that has not quite matched the expectations after last year’s resurgence.

Bellinger is in the middle of a 2-for-19 slump over his last five games. It hasn’t been a great season for him with a .263 average, 18 home runs and 73 RBI. Bellinger has five games to end it on a high note before heading into an offseason where he has a decision to make on the looming player option in his contract.

Bellinger has had an excellent series against his former team. He drew a walk in the first inning and scored on a double by Michael Busch. With two runners on in the fifth, he took Bobby Miller deep for a three-run blast. Bellinger later drew another walk in the ninth. The 29-year-old is hitting .266/.329/.431 with 17 homers, 64 runs scored, 66 RBI, and nine steals across 508 plate appearances.

The 430-foot homer off Walker Buehler was Bellinger’s longest of 2024 and 16th overall in 114 games this year. Since leaving L.A. two years ago, he’s hit an impressive .333 with five homers and three steals in 11 games against his former club.

Bellinger swatted a two-run homer off Kyle Nicolas in the sixth inning. The 29-year-old also singled and scored another run in a solid outing for the former MVP. Bellinger has put together a solid — if unspectacular — season with a .267/.325/.424 slash, 15 homers and 61 RBI.

Bellinger was stuck in a bit of a home run drought without going deep in two weeks before his second inning blast. He put an exclamation point on the Cubs’ seven-run second and they would not look back. This lineup is suddenly hot and Bellinger should have plenty of run-producing opportunities down the stretch.

Busch takes a seat with Pirates fireballer Jared Jones toeing the rubber on Tuesday night while Cody Bellinger takes a turn at the cold corner and Mike Tauchman patrols right field. The 26-year-old rookie has gone 1-for-11 over his last two games, so a quick break might not be a bad idea.

Bellinger smoked a two-run double in the fifth inning to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead over the Tigers. The veteran outfielder has now hit safely in back-to-back games but is slashing .250/.305/.442 on the month with just four extra-base hits. Injuries could be partially to blame for Bellinger’s line. He’s been playing through a sore hamstring but is still productive enough to warrant putting in fantasy lineups.