Bellinger declined his end of a $12.5 million mutual option with the Cubs on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
This was a no-brainer move for Bellinger, who is certain to be one of the more sought-after hitters on the open market this winter after bouncing back to record a .307/.356/.525 slash line with 26 homers, 97 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 95 runs scored across 130 games with Chicago in 2023. Beyond his offensive upside, the 28-year-old former NL MVP also rates well defensively in center field and would be a fit for a number of clubs.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Bellinger is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Milwaukee.
The Cubs won Saturday but were still eliminated from postseason contention, so Bellinger will sit for the final game of the campaign. The 28-year-old enjoyed a resurgent year with an .881 OPS, 26 homers, 20 steals and 97 RBI in 130 contests. He's likely to decline his $12 million mutual option for 2024 and should be a hot commodity as a free agent in the offseason.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Tallies three hits in loss
Rotowire
Bellinger went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.
All three hits were singles, but Bellinger will take it after going hitless in his previous three games. He's still batting a robust .309 this season, though that's dipped a little bit in September, albeit to a still-solid .280. The Cubs will need Bellinger to produce over the final few games if they want to advance to the playoffs.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Doubles twice, scores in loss
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored in Wednesday's 13-7 loss to the Pirates.
This was Bellinger's first multi-hit effort in 11 days as he entered Wednesday's contest just 6-for-32 over his last eight games. Even with the small slump, the 28-year-old is still batting a robust .310 this season with an .895 OPS, and he's been a big reason why the Cubs are in position to secure a playoff spot.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Drives in both runs Saturday
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Saturday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.
Bellinger plated runs with singles in the third and 10th innings, giving him a team-high 88 RBI for the season. The 28-year-old has had a resurgent first season with the Cubs, as he's sporting a .909 OPS and has looked more like the MVP player he was with the Dodgers back in 2019. Bellinger should remain a key contributor for Chicago down the stretch as the squad battles for a playoff spot.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Hits 24th home run
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Giants.
Bellinger doubled home a run in the third inning, then hit his 24th home run of the season in the seventh to help the Cubs to an 8-3 win. Chicago has the inside track on a playoff spot and Bellinger has been a big reason why. The 28-year-old is batting .321 for the year with a .920 OPS and he has a hit in every game this month, giving him a .379 average in September.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Has some 'bumps and bruises'
Rotowire
Cubs manager David Ross said Monday that Bellinger is getting a second straight start at designated hitter because he's dealing with "some bumps and bruises," Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
"Some bumps and bruises I'm trying to err on the side of caution with that," Ross said. "But he's fine. He can do everything we asked him to do." Ross added that he plans to get other regulars some starts at DH as the Cubs go through a difficult part of their schedule.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Goes deep in rout
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and three total RBI in Sunday's 15-7 victory over the Reds.
As has been the case for most of the year, Bellinger was right in the middle of Chicago's offensive surge. It's been a huge bounceback campaign for the 2019 NL MVP winner in his first season with the Cubs. He now has 23 home runs and a .916 OPS, compared to 19 long balls and just a .654 OPS last year with the Dodgers. Bellinger is likely behind the likes of Ronald Acuna, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the 2023 MVP race, but the former is once again playing at an elite level.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Big day in twin bill
Rotowire
Bellinger went 4-for-8 with a walk, two home runs, four RBI and a stolen base across both games of Friday's doubleheader split with the Reds.
He launched solo shots in each contest, taking Graham Ashcraft deep in the fourth inning of the matinee before getting hold of a Lyon Richardson curveball in the third frame of the nightcap. Bellinger snapped a brief 11-game homer drought in the process, but he was far from invisible during that stretch, piling up 14 RBI. The 28-year-old is one steal short of his first career 20-20 campaign, and his 22 homers and 81 RBI on the year are his highest totals since he delivered 47 and 115 during his 2019 MVP season with the Dodgers.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Drives in five Sunday
Rotowire
Bellinger went 3-for-5 with two doubles, five RBI, two runs scored and a steal in Sunday's win over Pittsburgh.
Bellinger's now 4-for-10 with seven RBI in his last two games following a brief 4-for-23 (.174) slump over his prior six contests. The 28-year-old outfielder also improved to 18-for-22 on stolen base attempts this season after swiping his first bag since Aug. 6. Overall, Bellinger's slash line is up to an impressive .321/.368/.546 with 20 homers, 76 runs scored and 75 RBI across 419 plate appearances on the year.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Scores twice, drives in two in win
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in Saturday's 10-6 win over the Pirates.
Since his two-homer game Aug. 19 against the Royals, Bellinger has been limited to one extra-base hit (a double) in his last seven games, but he's still contributed seven RBI and three runs during that stretch. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a resurgent campaign in Chicago and will carry a .317/.365/.540 slash line into Sunday's contest. He'll start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in the series finale in Pittsburgh.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Stays hot with two homers
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBI in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Royals.
Bellinger took Brady Singer deep in his first at-bat, scoring Nico Hoerner as the Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But the first baseman wasn't done there, crushing a second homer in his next trip to the plate and finishing with four RBI for the third time this season. Bellinger has been on fire in August, registering nine multi-hit games to go along with five home runs and 17 RBI. He's collected two or more hits four of his last seven contests.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Clubs another home run
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Bellinger hit the second of two first-inning Chicago home runs following a solo shot by Nico Hoerner. Bellinger has been hot lately with a 1.225 OPS, three home runs and 12 RBI across his last 10 games. For the season, he's slashing .329/.379/.559 with 18 long balls and 17 stolen bases, making him a very strong fantasy asset.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Bellinger went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Mets.
With the Cubs down 2-0 in the fourth inning, Bellinger launched his 17th home run of the year to cut the deficit in half. He has a hit in all eight games he's played this month, leaving him with an absurd .500 batting average to go along with two home runs and 10 RBI in August. It's been an excellent resurgent campaign for Bellinger in his first season with Chicago.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Productive again Sunday
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over Atlanta. He also stole a base.
Bellinger recorded his third straight multi-hit effort, and for the second straight game, he had a double and a stolen base to boot. He's now up to 17 steals to go along with 16 home runs, giving Bellinger a real shot at the first 20-20 season of his career.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Steals another base
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Saturday's win over Atlanta. He also stole a base.
Bellinger stayed hot at the plate, as he's batting .450 with a 1.150 OPS across five games this month. He's also stolen four bases in that time, pushing him to 16 steals for the season. That's a new career high for Bellinger, who's having a strong bounce-back campaign in his first year with the Cubs.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Tallies home run, steal in rout
Rotowire
Bellinger went 3-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 20-9 win over the Reds. He also stole a base.
Bellinger was in the middle of Chicago's offensive explosion, showing off both his power and speed. He now has 16 home runs to go along with 13 stolen bases. It looks like Bellinger should reach the 20-homer plateau for the first time since his 2019 NL MVP campaign if he stays healthy, and he could reach 20 steals for the first time in his career, too.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Pops 15th home run
Rotowire
Bellinger went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.
Bellinger made his lone hit count, delivering his 15th home run of the season and eighth already this month. The 28-year-old is enjoying his first season with the Cubs, and if the team decides to trade him before the deadline next week, he's certainly increased his value with his bounceback campaign to this point.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Keeps on rolling Sunday
Rotowire
Bellinger went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and three total RBI in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Cardinals.
Bellinger is scorching hot at the moment, as he now has five home runs and 15 RBI across his last 10 games. He's batting .436 during that span and a robust .319 this season to go along with a .918 OPS. If the Cubs end up moving Bellinger before the deadline, it seems like his trade value is increasing every day.
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Cubs' Cody Bellinger: Continues torrid pace
Rotowire
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with four RBI in Saturday's win over the Cardinals.
Bellinger has been on fire this month, as he's leading MLB with 32 hits and a .457 batting average in July. He's added six home runs and 19 RBI over 18 games in the month, which has made him an elite fantasy contributor during the hot stretch. Bellinger remains a trade candidate, but a move probably wouldn't impact his playing time very much, as he'd likely take on a prominent role with a new club.
