(670 The Score) Powerful agent Scott Boras’ pitch for why the Cubs need to make a lucrative investment to re-sign center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger is rather straightforward.
“I’m sure that the Chicago fans understand who are the Cubs with Cody? And who are the Cubs without him?” Boras said Saturday during an appearance on Inside the Clubhouse on 670 The Score. “And when you play in a market where you actually get to answer that question by the performance of the player, you can really determine what he means to a specific franchise and their probability of winning and what it would be like without him being there.”
After two-way star Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a 10-year deal, the 28-year-old Bellinger is the premier position player available in free agency. He’s coming off an impressive season for the Cubs in 2023, when he hit .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs and an .881 OPS in 130 games while also playing stellar defense.
Bellinger’s value to the Cubs was immense and also reflected in their performance with and without him. With Bellinger in their lineup, the Cubs were 69-61 and averaged 5.3 runs per game 2023. In games he didn’t play, they were 14-18 and averaged 3.9 runs per game.
In discussing Bellinger, Boras praised his credentials, which include Bellinger winning the 2019 National League MVP award and being a key part of a World Series-winning Dodgers team in 2020. Bellinger then struggled mightily in 2021 and 2022 as he dealt with injuries, which led him to sign with the Cubs on a one-year deal in 2023 with the intention of proving he still can perform at an elite level.
Bellinger did just that, and Boras put the onus directly on MLB owners if they want to sign him. In the case of the Cubs, those words would be directed at chairman Tom Ricketts.
“When you’re asking me where do these players end up, it’s highly competitive and it’s just something where ownership has to really embrace it and do their best achieve the level of competition to acquire the player,” Boras said.
“You’ve got to make sure that you can illustrate to your fan base that you want to win. If you don’t get these players, they’re not going to be available in the next free-agent market. And then you try to mitigate that by trading for lesser players.”
The Cubs, Blue Jays and Giants appear to be the main suitors for Bellinger. Boras stressed that Bellinger enjoyed playing for the Cubs in 2023 and would like to continue doing so if the financial aspect lines up.
“He really enjoyed the city of Chicago, enjoyed being a Cub,” Boras said. “Always, these decisions really tender on the idea how competitive ownership wants to be to acquire the best players. I hope for all of Chicago that the Cubs meet the competitive nature of the league to compete for the best players and have a good team.”