Shaking up the Cubs' offense just got harder with Cody Bellinger returning in 2025

Cody Bellinger will be back with the Chicago Cubs in 2025.

The two-time All-Star exercised his $27.5 million player option for next season, setting him up to return for a third season in Wrigleyville. For months, people had speculated whether or not he'd test free agency again this winter and now we have our answer.

Bellinger, 29, finished the year with a 2.2 bWAR and a .266/.325/.426 slash line. Still a plus defender and base runner, the big piece missing in his game this year was the power: his slugging percentage was down 101 points from his NL Comeback Player of the Year campaign in 2023.

The expectation is Bellinger will round out the Cubs' outfield mix on Opening Day, taking the everyday job in right field and slotting Seiya Suzuki in as the DH - a role in which he thrived down the stretch this season. That will make it incredibly difficult to add an impact bat this offseason, potentially making a pursuit of high-end arms more likely.

His return also takes a big bite out of the baseball operations budget for 2025. Nearly $30 million is nothing to sneeze at - Bellinger will be the team's biggest hit against the luxury tax. The hope is he can regain the power stroke that made him an offensive centerpiece in Chicago in 2023 because with a positional logjam that will make adding an external bat challenging, manager Craig Counsell may be tasked with getting more out of a familiar group of faces.

Cubs News: Chicago parts ways with left-hander Drew Smyly

In other Cubs roster news, the front office declined its end of a $10 million option on Drew Smyly, instead opting to pay him a $2.5 million buyout. The 35-year-old lefty will head back out into free agency after spending the last three years on the North Side.

Smyly made 50 appearances out of the Cubs bullpen this year, working to a 3.84 ERA and slightly less encouraging 4.91 FIP. There was nearly a two-run difference in his ERA from the first half to the second, which likely made Jed Hoyer's decision even easier.

The Cubs will need to add some left-handed arms in the bullpen. Luke Little is the only lefty reliever left on the roster - and he battled injuries in 2024. Expect the pitching staff, as a whole, to be a major area of focus for the team in the weeks and months to come.