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Part of the Chicago Cubs offseason came into focus when Cody Bellinger made the decision to return to the Cubs for the 2025 season. While Jed Hoyer seemed to want to wish Bellinger a happy goodbye, Cody is coming back anyway.
Nobody thinks Bellinger is a bad ballplayer, just an overpaid one. Bellinger hit .266 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs. That is in addition to an OPS of .751 and a WAR of 2.2. In 2023 Bellinger hit .307 with 26 homers and 97 runs driven in. If the Cubs get the 2023 Bellinger that $27 million Bellinger will rake in could be money well spent.
Beyond his bat, Bellinger is a plus defender in the outfield and at first base. That gives the Cubs some versatility but means their offseason moves are a bit more limited.
Jed Hoyer will have to use his imagination
The Cubs have eight of MLB’s top 100 prospects. And most of them are blocked from a major league slot by no-trade or bad contracts. Hoyer is going to have to find a way to convert that prospect capital. An obvious way would be to package some of those prospects into some proven major league pitching talent.
Another option is to use first baseman, Michael Busch, second baseman Nico Hoerner or third baseman Isaac Paredes in a deal. If Busch is moved, Bellinger could slide into the first base slot. Matt Shaw is primed to take over at second or third base. My preference is that Paredes is moved and Hoerner retained. Hoerner had a bit of a subpar season with the bat, but still provides great defense and speed on the bases.
Actually, things would have been less complicated if the Cubs had simply demoted Christopher Morel and brought up Matt Shaw to have played third base, rather than make the Morel for Paredes trade.
The upside of Cody Bellinger’s return
One of the players being blocked by the presence of Bellinger on the Cubs is outfielder Owen Cassie. The fact is that in 2025 Bellinger is likely to surpass what Cassie could have provided. In addition, Bellinger also reportedly has had a positive effect on Pete Crow-Armstong.
If Bellinger decided not to come back to the Cubs, how would have they improved their offense? Juan Soto is the prize bat in this year’s crop of free agents. Does anybody really think the Cubs will win that bidding war? If anything, they would shop from the second tier of free agents.
A more likely target would have been the Orioles’ right fielder, Anthony Santander. I believe I’d take Bellinger.
Depth is an issue
An overlooked aspect of the Cubs is their lack of depth at the major league level. Some of their key bench players in 2024 were Miles Mastrobuoni, Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom. There has to be an upgrade going into 2025. Generally speaking, young players aren’t used in utility roles. That means the Cubs’ vaunted farm system has been useless. That has to stop in 2025.
