Cubs predicted to retain $80 million former MVP who can opt out

Some decisions Major League Baseball players have to make are easy. Chicago Cubs star Cody Bellinger's is not one of them.

Soon, Bellinger will have to determine whether or not to return to the Cubs in 2025, for the second year of a three-year contract he signed in March, or test the free agency waters.

Coming off a 2023 season in which he received down-ballot Most Valuable Player votes, Bellinger didn't get the contract he probably deserved. He ended up taking an $80 million deal with the Cubs that included player options for 2025 and 2026.

After a solid, but not spectacular 2024, Bellinger's decision is going to be one of the key stories of the winter. It's anyone's guess which way he leans at this point.

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, for his part, believes Bellinger will return to the North Side in 2025.

"I have very little confidence in this but I'm going to say Bellinger picks up his player option, which guarantees him at least $32.5 million between his 2025 salary and the buyout of his 2026 option," said.

"Bellinger turned only 29 in July. Pick up the option and have a strong 2025, and he'll be able to test free agency again next winter at age 30, which is still young enough to get paid well."

This season has not been one of Bellinger's best, but it's also not been bad by any means. He's got a .266/.330/.431 slash line, 17 home runs and 66 RBI. That's a very useful offensive profile for a versatile defender like the former 2019 MVP.

Bellinger's career path to this point has been unpredictable, which helps explain why his contract situation has become so complicated. At his best, he's a steal for the $27.5 million the Cubs would owe him in 2025, but it's hard to say whether his best is going to be there.

A decision this difficult truly could come down to the final weeks of the season. Even if the Cubs get no closer in the Wild Card standings, every at-bat Bellinger takes could have an outsized impact on where he plays in 2025.

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