After months of speculation regarding a possible opt-out of his three-year, $80 million contract, Chicago Cubs outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger has picked up his 2025 option and will remain with the club, according to reports.
Bellinger's 2025 option will pay him $27.5 million for the upcoming season.
The utility man and former MVP staying put will likely lead to some positional shuffling for the Cubs, who saw the emergence of Michael Busch at first base and Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field in 2024, respectively.
While Bellinger also has experience in the corner outfield roles, left and right field have been locked down by Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki for the past three seasons.
This could lead to Bellinger and Suzuki possibly splitting time in the designated hitter role, which could also be a spot for Michael Busch in select matchups.
After a resurgent season in 2023 that was a return to MVP form in many regards, Bellinger showed expected, but not dramatic regression in his 2024 campaign.
Bellinger posted a .266/.325/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 78 RBI, good enough for a 111 OPS+, well above league average but a precipitous drop from his 139 OPS+ in 2023, good enough to net him a Silver Slugger award and 10th place in NL MVP voting.
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Though Bellinger's role on the 2025 Cubs is currently unclear, the North Siders will be bringing back an above-average bat with defensive versatility, with potential for much more as he enters his age-29 season.
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