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.

Cody Bellinger wants to experience October baseball at Wrigley Field

There's no need to re-hash what happened last September. We all know what happened: the Cubs' playoff odds came crashing down to earth after sitting north of 90% a week into September and the team missed the postseason by one game.

Bellinger hasn't forgotten that and based on his comments Wednesday, he's very motivated to finish the job and help the Cubs return to the postseason in 2024.

"We were so close last year, got banged up at the end. We fought till the very end. For me to come back here with almost the same team, to experience the playoffs in Chicago is something I wanted to do ... it's a big part of the reason I wanted to come back here."

Bellinger posted an .827 OPS down the stretch over the season's final month, hitting six home runs and a half-dozen doubles for the Cubs. But that wasn't enough, with Chicago taking things down to the final day of the season before being eliminated from postseason contention. Now, he'll get a chance to lead the team back to October baseball - something we haven't seen at Wrigley Field in a full season since 2018.

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.