4 quotes Cubs fans will love to hear from the Cody Bellinger press conference

With the long-anticipated reunion between Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs made official this week, we got a re-introductory press conference with Bellinger flanked by Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and agent Scott Boras.

It should come as no surprise that all three had plenty to say about the entire process, what Bellinger means to the Cubs moving forward and how everything wound up coming together. Let's dive in and look at three quotes from the press conference that fans should note.

Conversations between Jed Hoyer and Scott Boras started back in July

On a one-year pillow deal last year, Bellinger re-established himself as a legitimate offensive force in Chicago. In the presser on Wednesday, Hoyer said that talks about keeping the former MVP with the Cubs actually got going last summer - laying the ground work for this offseason's eventual reunion.

"I think we started the conversation on this in July," said Hoyer. "I think Scott will attest: my comments to him about Cody have never wavered at all. I felt all along he's a great fit for this team, a great fit for the clubhouse."

Bellinger's numbers spoke for themselves in 2023 and played a huge role in the Cubs wanting him back this winter. But he also universally received glowing feedback on his presence in the clubhouse from teammates and coaches - and we know how much the organization prides itself on building a strong clubhouse culture.

Scott Boras and Jed Hoyer seem to have a decent working relationship

Boras often controls the top of the free agent market and perhaps at no time has that been clearer than this winter. The game's top three unsigned free agents - Jordan Montgomery, Matt Chapman and Blake Snell - are all Boras clients, as is Bellinger.

Much has been made not only of Boras' stranglehold on the market but the Cubs' refusal to play in the deep end of the free agent pool. That combination has led to speculation that perhaps Hoyer and Boras don't have a great relationship. But that didn't appear to be the case in Wednesday's press conference.

"Jed and I talk about a lot of things in baseball all the time," said Boras. "So we have a great communication system with the Cubs."

Boras isn't going away anytime soon and given Chicago represents one of the largest media markets and the Cubs are one of most valuable sports franchises in the world, connections will continue to be drawn between the two. Knowing they have a solid working relationship at least gives some peace of mind as a new contention window opens on the North Side.

Cody Bellinger hears the criticisms over his batted ball metrics

There were two big arguments Bellinger detractors pointed to when arguing against giving him a long-term deal: 1) his checkered injury history in his final years with the Dodgers and 2) soft batted ball metrics that didn't exactly back up his bounceback performance in 2023.

Boras tackled both criticisms head-on, reminding everyone both of his injuries were very flukey and telling reporters to go look at Bellinger's batted ball metrics based on counts. When he was ahead in the count, he was still hitting the ball hard. But when he found himself in pitcher's counts, he shortened up and focused on contact last year.

Bellinger himself repeatedly emphasized the confidence he has in his game and stressed he wasn't putting too much stock in the concerns over his batted ball numbers from a season ago.

"I hear it and kind of brush it off," said Bellinger. "There are a lot of different variables that go into it and not to look at one certain stat to dictate a whole season."

At the end of the day, Bellinger produced - and that's what matters. Now, he'll get the chance to re-address both of these concerns in 2024. If he does, he could assuage fears about giving him a long-term deal and cash in big-time in free agency next winter, which would be a best-case scenario for both he and the Cubs.