Cody Bellinger 'very, very happy' with his current situation with the Cubs

This winter will be different than last - when we spent months on end speculating as to whether or not Cody Bellinger would return to the Chicago Cubs. He did, signing a three-year deal with opt-outs after the first two seasons, and quickly opted into year two at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign, meaning he'll call Wrigley Field home for a third season.

At this week's GM Meetings in San Antonio, agent Scott Boras, who again will represent much of the sport's top free agents this winter, spoke about Bellinger and his time in Chicago.

Not yet 30, if Bellinger turns in a monster year, he'd set himself up for a huge payday next winter. If he's again solid but falls short of elite production, he's got the safety net of another option year for 2026 with a healthy $25 million salary. In 2024, he was a solid piece for Chicago, but his power production was down and the team sorely missed it.

With the late-season emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bellinger seems ticketed for right field in 2025 - pushing Seiya Suzuki into a full-time DH gig, a role in which he thrived down the stretch. Having Bellinger back is by no means a bad thing, but it limits the potential roster flexibility of the team.

The Wrigley Field factor (Bellinger had a near-100-point split in his home/road OPS) and an IL stint watered down his overall numbers a bit more, and likely made the decision to opt in a relatively straightforward one.

Hopefully, a happy Bellinger is a productive Bellinger. One hopes the Friendly Confines plays a bit more hitter-friendly next year and he can pile up the extra-base hits. That would go a long way toward 'fixing' a Cubs offense that went into a months-long cold spell. but scored the third-most runs in the league from July 1.