Former Los Angeles Dodgers MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger is reportedly planning to opt out of his contract with the New York Yankees and will look to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The $25 million option that Bellinger is reportedly planning to turn down should insinuate that he will cost a pretty penny this offseason, but after achieving the second-best bWAR of his career in 2025, it is worth considering if a reunion is in the cards for the 30-year-old slugger.
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When Bellinger burst onto the scene in 2017, he delivered an electric rookie campaign, hitting .267 with a .933 OPS and 39 home runs. This resulted in an All-Star selection and National League Rookie of the Year honors.
Bellinger, the Dodgers’ fourth round pick in the 2013 Draft, would have a slightly down year in 2018, but earned NLCS MVP honors to help his squad win its second NL pennant in as many years. The 2019 season is when Bellinger took an enormous leap.
As he turned just 23 years old that season, Bellinger had a slashline of .305/.406/.629 with an absurd 1.035 OPS. He added 47 home runs, 115 RBIs, and an NL-leading 8.7 bWAR. He earned MVP honors, an All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger award, and even a Gold Glove honor.
Bellinger’s production would drop during the shortened 2020 campaign, but he would still play an important part in the Dodgers’ seventh World Series in franchise history. He would fail to get close to what he did during his MVP season, until he made his way to the Chicago Cubs in 2023, hitting .307 that season.
After two years in Chicago and spending last season in New York, Bellinger has yet to return to an All-Star game since that 2019 campaign. He could present a lot of value reuniting in Los Angeles with something to prove, and can add tons of depth to a Dodgers outfield that struggled with production in 2025.
The potentially high price for Belligner is something that the Dodgers have never shyed away from, but with LA being linked to Kyle Tucker, younger by two years and demonstrating more consistency in recent seasons, there is no telling what will happen until the offseason truly begins.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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One Response
Hell no!