Despite being non-tendered by the Dodgers on Friday, Cody Bellinger has had no shortage of potential suitors, reports The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (Twitter link). Bowden adds that Bellinger had calls from at least five teams “within an hour of him being non-tendered” and that “several more have called since.”
Since slashing an impressive .305/.406/.629 with 47 homers in 2019, Bellinger has had a steep decline. Over the last two seasons, the former MVP has struggled to a .198/.256/.355 line with a high 27.1% strikeout rate and below-average 7.7% walk rate. As noted by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco, Bellinger suffered a right shoulder injury celebrating during the 2020 NLCS, followed by unrelated leg and rib issues that seemingly zapped his offensive production.
Nevertheless, as Bellinger’s offensive production declined, he has taken on more of a defensive role. Reaching the majors as a first baseman, Bellinger has since transitioned to a full-time role in center field and has been rated favorably by both Ultimate Zone Rating and Statcast. Without substantial offensive production over the past couple of years, Bellinger will likely earn less than the $18.1MM projected via arbitration by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, but will almost surely remain on a Major League roster.
Elsewhere in the League:
- In addition to the Mariners’ interest in Gleyber Torres and Kolten Wong, the club has also checked in on Trea Turner and “all the other free agent middle infielders,” per Bowden. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has previously stated that the organization would prefer to land a shortstop that would like to play second base, and that J.P. Crawford is the Mariners’ shortstop. While Torres and Wong are both primary second basemen, Turner has limited experience at the position, having played only 436 2/3 innings at second since 2017. Furthermore, all of those innings were in 2021 after a mid-season trade to the Dodgers, who already had Corey Seager. Perhaps more importantly, shortstops are traditionally paid more than second basemen. MLBTR predicts Turner to receive an eight-year, $268MM contract, which would smash the record for the highest AAV contract for a second baseman.
- 15-year veteran Evan Longoria has adjusted his free agent wishes, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting that Longoria, “hopes to play one or two more years and is open to any competitive team.” Bob Nightengale of USA Today had previously reported that Longoria was only considering the Giants, Rays, and Diamondbacks as potential free agent landing spots. Longoria would be a nice addition to any contending team, with the 37-year-old hitting a solid .252/.333/.466 with 27 homers since the start of the 2021 season. However, injuries have limited Longoria to 589 PA and 170 games over the past two seasons.
Who thinks Jays may get Belle?
Surely the Jays are setting their sights higher than Albert Belle
Fletch, you talking about Joey Belle?
George Bell?
Raja Bell?
Bellinger would make a good reclamation project in STL.
Because that Dodgers Org is pants at developing in house talent!
Haha who knows eh? Baseball has many a story of young struggling players just needing a chance to start afresh, to turn the page on a couple of poor seasons from developing bad habits. Get on a new 26 man roster
pants?
Derek Bell? Jay Bell? Juan Bell? For whom the Bell tolls?
Alright you guys can stop trolling me.
Lol fre5hwind, I never thought you were referring to Belli. Thought you meant Josh Bell all along haha.
YAAAAAAAAAAAASA
FRIENDLY FIRE
Taco Bell?
No
Judo Gene Labelle?
No and actually stop it’s getting annoying.
Probably my favorite song of all time! Thumbs up for simply getting it into your post! Well done
Belli*
Ronnie Belliard?
Ronnie Belliard Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Haven’t heard that name in forever
WS Champion Ronnie Belliard. Get it right.
Belle Starr
See what you did fre5hwind!?!? Your tiniest of typhos hijacked the whole thread hahaha
I caused a movement.
A “Belle” cult is after me.
You might have to issue a statement and or retraction…I saw that you corrected the error earlier. But that is not enough….The illusion has become real and grown legs…You need a good crisis PR person at this point.. A “fixer.” It’s gonna cost you though…Probably best to call your broker and start liquidating come 0630 tomorrow.
I destroyed MlbTradeRumors computer servers with this.
This is the kind of thing a Sociology major could do his doctoral thesis on.
“How a spark becomes an Inferno”
Ima need a doctor.
“You always start somewhere”
Watch this be on the news.
Hahahahahaha It’ll cool down by Xmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza….If I were you I would start making the calls letting people know Thanksgiving is cancelled this year for reasons beyond your control. Get legal and technical if you must..Cite “Force Majeure.”
I’m public enemy #1
My notification is getting spammed because of you!!
Have you considered moving?
A BM?
Speaking of movement, brb in 10 minutes
Bell Movement?
Hope it’s as a utility player if that’s the case. They need an everyday CF like Nimmo or Reynolds, not a hopeful bounce back.
Reynolds is a CF out of necessity more than ability. The Jays have more than enough thump in their lineup to use one spot on a defensive player could bring back JBJ while pursuing a LH bat to DH
Reynolds and Nimmo aren’t really CF. They play CF but their a sprained ankle away from losing even more speed and moving down the defensive spectrum.
Taco ? It’s low grade dog good
I’m just sayin
Wasn’t his Wronco, just sayin
Taco Bell? Live Max
C’mon guys, he is clearly talking about Bellinger. Clay Bellinger. He has that world series experience from the yankees
Calling Alexander Graham Bell?
Belle? Gaston retired in 2010.
Pac-Bell.
I thought he was referring to Josh Bell too, but was calling him beautiful with his wordplay.
How could Jim Bowden know that Bellinger got “at least 5 calls” from teams within an hour of being non-tendered? He talking to his agent directly?
Obviously was floated to him by his agent lol
Yeah no doubt. I can’t stand that crap. I would be pissed as a player if my agent was leaking stuff. Not the sort of games I would want to play.
I gotta disagree Trumbo. I’d want the word put out that I was in high demand.
Joe, I hear ya. But there is no verifying/cross-checking any of this stuff. We just gotta take their word for it. Could be reverse psychology. Get him NOW before someone else does people his phone is blowing up!!! I don’t know…He should be signed very fast I would imagine then.
His agent wouldn’t be leaking it if he didn’t have prior knowledge or more importantly, the info wasn’t something that would almost certainly benefit him. Having news that multiple teams are interested become public knowledge, is an extremely positive thing for any/every free agent
82, I thought the “at least 5 teams calling within an hour of being non-tendered” was a bit over the top. Other than that I pretty much agree.
That could also back fire. Nobody is going to enter a bidding war for his bat and there other defense only options. This could turn clubs away
The idea is that it makes teams make that call to check in on his market faster. If you think he’s going to sign soon you’re at least going to check in, where if you don’t expect me to sign until January you can play slow
Any GM worth his weight in salt will not assume the market for any player..
I completely agree. I would say more often than not, reports like these aren’t published without an agenda to a certain degree. In the absence of complete transparency and the inability to legitimately fact check them, the majority of these “reports” are just empty-rhetoric
I’m honestly not sure how it could backfire.
Agents specifically, live by the old saying “any news is good news” because it rings true for this particular business way more often than not. If for nothing else, it gets people talking about it.
Generally speaking, I don’t think GM’s/Agents around the league talk to one another or “leak” info without having an underlying personal interest. They are the true Masters of Whispers. Take the chance of calling bs or ignoring the info and potentially lose the opportunity to sign or trade for a particular player they’re legitimately interested in.
I’m not a fan of exaggerating the truth or just flat out lying for any reason, let alone for personal gain. I can’t stand and don’t trust any politicians for the same reason. I probably wouldn’t fair very well in this job field/position or one like it!
I’m sure there would be no reports if reality was that there were no teams interested in Bellinger. Boras as a good agent will do anything to drum up interest for his client. First it was playing up the shoulder injury then playing up the interest post-non-tender.
I’m sure Bellinger will land somewhere. He’s too great of an athlete and defensive stud but I wonder at what price and how much patience will they have when they realize that his offensive issues are not going to get fixed.
Possibly.
Jon Heyman is obviously a mouthpiece for Boras. It makes sense for agents to feed reporters what they want to be public.
Trumbo – Jim Bowden is Jim Bowden’s biggest fan. Listening to Bowden on MLB radio is difficult-to-take at times.
I remember Jim saying he guaranteed the Yankees getting a starting pitcher at the deadline. They didn’t get a starting pitcher. I don’t think he admitted he was wrong. He also said Arenado would be a great fit for the Dodgers. If I know that trades within the division are rare, how come he doesn’t?
Didn’t they get Frankie Montas or was that not this season?
Believe … Bowden never admitted missing badly on guys like Kingery & Russell, too. Bowden finds time to mention himself more or less constantly during his long-winded-rants, though – humility ain’t his thing.
According to Jon Heyman there are 29 “mystery teams” in on Bellinger…
Rsox pretty much hit the nail on the head…
Translation, there might be 3 teams willing to take a short flier on him at a low cost
Maybe he is watching his agent.
Longoria expected to become a Guardian next week as a 1B /DH to platoon with Josh Naylor…assuming Jose Aubrey rejects Guardians 3 yr offer
abreu to SD. longo is still a good defensive 3rd baseman, no need to knock him down the defensive spectrum yet.
I don’t think Jose Aubrey would turn down a guaranteed three year deal. Jose Abreu on the other hand…
You never call a non-tender in the first hour. Makes you look desperate. A real club lets the non-tender come to them.
In this case, clubs know Bellinger is perceived as a high end reclamation project that will have plenty of suitors at a lower price. Now the trick is someone not paying him 8 figures.
Surprised the Dodgers tendered him a contract last year. They were hoping he would turn it around but he didn’t.
The way salaries are headed, it’s only a matter of time before a backup catcher makes eight figures.
Smart GMs know there are certain roles/positions that can save you money. Backup catcher is one of those spots on the roster.
Lol we’re talking about free agents, not women!
Of course, you express interest immediately. Time is everything.
Mariners should go after Bogaerts. He’s more likely to be in their price range than Turner or Correa, and his offensive upside is still on par with both of them. He also had arguably his best season defensively in 2022. I know Trader Jerry has an undying commitment to Crawford at SS, but moving him to 2B and plugging Bogaerts in at SS makes a ton of sense for them. They can always switch them at some point too, if Bogaerts defense doesn’t continue to be above average.
Regardless, the Mariners are still one big bat away from being a legitimate WS contender in my opinion, and their only real weakness now on offense is the middle infield, so going all in and signing one of the “big 3” shortstops and moving Crawford to 2B makes a ton of sense for them. Either way, both the present and future in Seattle is starting to look quite bright.
HBan, the Mariners were serious World Series contenders THIS SEASON! Even some neutral national pundits pointed out that they had a team built for October with great pitching, great defense, and home run hitters. One clutch hit and two less managerial blunders and the M’s had a great chance of facing the Yankees in the ALCS…….a much easier team to beat than Houston.
Any team that makes the playoffs are WS contenders, not sure if the last seed in the American league are “serious” contenders though. They were the weakest team to make the playoffs.
Gomer, do you consider the Rays weakest because of their hitting?
They weren’t the last team in though.
The Rays finished four games behind the Mariners. They had the least wins of all 12 teams in the playoffs with 86.
I love Xander but have a weird vibe he wouldn’t hit well in that ballpark. Hope I’m wrong if he ends up going there.
HBan22, Yeah, Bogaerts can hit, but one good defensive season in a poor defensive, 9 year career, doesn’t convince me that I’d want him playing a position where defense is paramount. Crawford isn’t that great with the glove either. Turner would be the better choice IMO.
Fair enough on all points. I agree the Mariners were good this past season, but one more big bat would certainly put them over the top. Teoscar was a good start, but upgrading the middle infield with one of the big 3 shortstops makes them a potentially elite team rather than a very good one in my opinion.
I also agree that Bogaerts is no guarantee to stay average to above average defensively at SS especially into his 30s, but then again neither are Turner or Correa as they age either. I specifically suggested Bogaerts due to him being more affordable than the other two, and possibly less of a health risk as he ages. He’s also a good clubhouse guy/team leader type, and I could see him being a good influence on Seattle’s younger guys.
HBan, the Mariners can afford any of the free agent shortstops. However, if Ohtani doesn’t sign an extension with the Angels, the Mariners would want to be in on the bidding for him. I’m not sure they could afford both. I’d rather have Ohtani. Also, TWO big bats would not necessarily put the Mariners “over the top”. The best hitters make an out seven times out of 10. All the Mariners needed in the 2022 playoffs was one or two timely hits and two less managerial blunders.
I’d definitely be in favor bring Bellinger aboard. Hopefully Dipoto has been one of the parties that’s checked in on him.
Be interesting to see who thinks they have a stacked enough lineup to absorb Bellinger in center. He’d help out the pitching staff enough to offset sone of his ineptitude with the bat.
I’m assuming it will be a rebuilding team who is thinking in terms of flipping him if his bat wakes up. Definitely a team that doesn’t have another CF option and can afford the patience to just keep throwing him out there. Good hitting park. Thinking maybe Rangers or Rockies.
Not just rebuilding teams. Jays, Mariners, Yankees, Mets, Astros, Indians all make sense.
Yankees already have Harrison Bader. Bellinger would have to play a corner spot and he shouldn’t agree to it.
Mets and Jays make too much sense
Bellinger’s defense is extremely undervalued and isn’t talked about nearly as much as it should be. There’s no question he should have won a Gold Glove this season! trent grisham had no business receiving that award over Belli!
Assuming he doesn’t improve offensively at all, I think the ban of the exaggerated shift should organically increase his numbers rather significantly.
He’s a good teammate, he works hard, and he cares about helping his team win however he can. I’m rooting for the guy no matter where he ends up signing
His defense is actually overvalued. If you watch his “highlight” plays, he usually runs the wrong route first, then has to adjust & jumps at the end to make it look tougher. So overrated.
Do you have any evidence of that. There’s actually a stat cast stat on route efficiency that can probably back your claims.
His defense and bases running alone were worth 2 wins this year
So… 16M on the market? Is 8M/win still the going rate?
Arguing an opinion about a “player’s stats not always giving an accurate account of their true play by play/game/season/team worth” by…
LISTING MORE STATS! Well done!
Bellinger’s got a good glove but he’s not in Grisham’s league.
Hilarious to me when sports fans are so insecure about their team that they can’t acknowledge there may be more than one player who’s good at a specific skill… in Major League Baseball
Sure buddy
I’m simply basing my opinion on watching a lot of baseball from my point of view. Don’t get me wrong, Grisham is a good OF but I thought Bellinger was more deserving of the award. If Betts wasn’t an “absolutely deserving” recipient of the GG, I think Bellinger would have been. I can’t even remember the last OF teammates to both win GG’s. Specifically teammates who play next to each other in the OF. It’s unfortunate
And I actually think it’s much easier for fans to bash their own teams players or give proper credit! It’s way more common for fans to write negative comments. Positivity is a rarity on social. We’d be better off as a society if that wasn’t the case but that ship has sailed.
Disparaging a player on your team simultaneously offers up a scapegoat/gives a reason for being unsuccessful without saying it.
Bellinger best bests to improving if he goes to hitter parks like Rockies, Reds, Phillies, Yankees, or Texas.
Rockies aren’t a bad idea for him.
Not a bad list, although Yankees and Phillies are pretty set in CF.
Trea Turner wants to be on the East Coast, his girlfriend lives in New Jersey. My guess the Phillies, Mets, or the Yankees.
AllRise, what about his 5 new Girlfriends he acquired while in LA? Dropping them like bad habits probably huh?
@TrumboJumbo- No those are probably all his wives. Lol.
You forgot Toronto amd Boston
Texas is no longer a hitters paradise. new stadium seems to favor pitchers or at least plays fair
Yankees best addition by subtraction is getting rid of cash man
Bellinger in a Yankee uniform would just be Joey Gallo 2.0
@datashark
That’s not improving. Its park factors effecting the results. He needs to improve, period.
Texas isn’t a hitters park
Bellinger is a minor leaguer or AAAA now. Injuries did him in. Avoid signing this guy to a MLB level contract. Waste of time and money.
Completely agree. I can’t speak for the Dodgers, but it doesn’t sound like they even have interest in bringing him back at a lesser price tag, and that says a lot. Bellinger needs to work with a hitting guru to overhaul his swing and approach. Hopefully his non-tender is the wakeup call he needs, but maybe it’s just his shoulder that accounts for the nosedive. Either way signing him is a gamble.
I disagree. If you look at the quality of CFers in the Majors, hes easily rates out as average. Most CFers cant hit, thats why guys like Jake Marisnik, Albert Almora, Juan Lagares and Rafael Ortega still get chances. Bellinger is a top defensive CFer and hes an above average hitter for a CFer in his state right now
To say he could get back to mvp form would be foolish. But what’s the chance he can get back to above replacement level with his bat?
Shoulder injuries are no joke. But it’s not as if it’s still injured.
After this long, he should be good to go, and with the proper adjustments could get back to 275/350/450? No? Zero chance?
After two years of terrible performance trending worse?
Jays wouldn’t need him to get back to that. They need him to play a solid CF so Springer can move to his natural position RF where he should have been all along because he was never a full time CF. If Bellinger hit .210/.340/.450 he’d be a great fit on the jays current roster of all RH, fills a couple needs.
“Not still injured” and “not full strength” are different, but both can lead to a guy looking like a shell of himself. Especially when it comes to shoulders and power
The fans here that think he has no value and not even worth a look are clueless. Simple as that.
I’ll echo what LFG said, plus Belanger is still young!
I couldn’t agree more. Sadly, Dodger fans will realize (but prob never admit) his true value to the team once he’s gone. He’s a phenomenal centerfielder and even with the offensive fall from grace, an absolute luxury for the team. Hit 8th in the Dodgers lineup, had almost 20 HR’s and played GG caliber defense day in and day out
Bellinger has a comp…. And it’s Myles Straw
Did Bellinger’s celebration of a HUGE postseason home run ruin his career? Does anybody remember his forearm slam with Kike” Hernandez? He was injured during that exciting moment and Kike” actually boasted how much stronger he is than Bellinger, and now Belli knows it too.
I could see Longoria going to the Dodgers to replace Justin Turner as a RH 3B/DH if Turner doesn’t re-sign
relatively similar value there and longo should be a bit less expensive. seems like a savvy dodgers like move. Turner is a little ahead with his bat but longo brings much more defensive value. Both are positive veteran clubhouse presenses
If Dodgers replace aging Jeff Turner with another aging Longoria – that seems like a huge mis-step. If one is going to replace a dodger stalwart like Jeff – you need to have a younger player with potential – otherwise fans will not appreciate that move and Longoria is not going to live up to it.
Replacing “Jeff” Turner probably isn’t as hard as you think. Replacing Justin on the other hand…
There’s always a Red Sox fan around to wait for someone to make a mistake, so they can correct it and feel good about themselves.
Here’s your gold star
Still no article on Ronald Acuña changing agents?
Why would he need an agent at all? Isn’t he on a long term deal?
Do you just not realize that MOST players on long-term deals have agents?
Everyone is “interested” in any free agent or trade. This is all just so we have something to ponder and speculate on until spring. Beats nothing I guess.
After getting 5 calls Bellinger looked in the mirror and be like I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and gosh darn it people like me. Then he smoked 5 Js.
With all the various batting information available on an MLB player, (video tape, stadium, stance, pitcher, pitch speed, pitch type, pitch location, home plate umpire, if the Dodgers couldn’t “fix” Bellinger over the last TWO YEARS, why would any other organization believe that they alone have “the answer”?? Warning to any team checking in on this guy, take a long, in-depth, extensive look at his physical condition !!
Fade literally anything nightingale reports
Colorado Rockies are a fit for Bellinger . Rocky Mountain High.
You’re right. I always thought he’d like toronto for the weed , but Denver just as good . Closer to home. Forgot bout Colorado
He’s basically been Babe Ruth at Coors Field over the years, too.
Guess that settles that. Bellinger to the Rockies
@legend. Don’t get bumgarnerequalsnlcs and his 10 extra accounts going on RAJ…..
That was the first guy i muted on the site
Bellinger will probably receive a mildly nice contract, loaded with incentives. The club signing him will probably want a second year option, too. Boras will shop contenders first. There is so much money thrown around in major league baseball, I could see him getting 10 million and incentives.
I’m guessing 12 million.
Perhaps a potential 10mil FROM incentives. $10Mil + incentives would be outrageous. Having said that, considering the “wisdom” of some owners and GM’s …
Buyer beware re Bellinger. His 2019 success was most likely a product of sign stealing, & his defense is wildly overrated. Not much happening between the ears either.
Bellinger to the Rockies.
If someone is willing to give him 15 mil or more then let ‘em have him.
What if the Ms signed Turner and acquired Gleyber?
Longoria to Boston makes sense. Fill in at third, DH some games, maybe face tough lefties or just spell Casas. An upgrade over Dalbec for sure
I didn’t know Jim Bowden and Cody Bellinger were best buds
Well, as a Mariners fan I can tell you the reason that JP Crawford will not move to shortstop. GMJP is reluctant or you can say scared to a certain point. It all stems back to the Kendall Graveman trade. If y’all remember GMJP was trying to make a move for the good of the team and with the way the chemistry was going last year the team voiced their disappointment and disapproval of GMJP to make a decision almost like he had to converse with the team prior to make a transaction for the better of the team. They somehow call JP the heart of the team but I think he’s more like the cancer of the team. The reason I say that, is for the best for the Mariners he needs to check his ego and move his below average butt to 2nd base. He was a talent like 7 years ago and if anything he’s a bust that we are waiting out his contract. I’ve never seen a player pop out so much because he needs to check is uppercut Griffey swing. That Jr’s swing not his. JP is not a power hitter at best a bloop single guy. So you can count on seeing JP at SS next year and not one of the FA in Seattle. So I guess we will just hop on his .243 BA and 6 HR’s back and hopefully he can carry us to the World Series.
Yeah, I’m not getting the logic in appeasing Crawford, who by all stats I can see seems barely average. He’s the one who should be moving for any of these top tier players. Why the heck are they accommodating JP Crawford?
JP is not a cancer. He is what you call “streaky.” Very very streaky. And Dipoto isn’t scared of any of the players or too big to have that conversation with a player on the topic for the betterment of the team. Just look at the Flexen demotion to the bullpen, or Marco being left off the playoff roster. Jerry has also changed his stance on Crawford potentially moving off of Shortstop depending on who walked through that door. Last year Dipoto was adamant that JP was “THE SHORTSTOP.” And why not, he was coming off of a Gold Glove season.
It’s not a given that we even sign one if the big FA shortstops, so there’s no point in rustling any feathers in the clubhouse and making an announcement that JP “NEEDS” to move anywhere, because there are a plethora of teams looking for an upgrade at shortstop. There’s no guarantee we’re even going to get one. Teams like Boston, Philadelphia, LA, Minnesota, Cubs, SF, Atlanta, Baltimore all could potentially be looking to acquire one of the Big Four.
IF, one of those guys happens to sign with Seattle, then, and only then will Dipoto and company have to cross that bridge.
What about longoria to the Jays? I know they’re set at 3rd and 1st, but with vladdy taking games at dh and Chapman taking some days off against tough lefties they’ll find him enough at bats, and they really need a veteran with postseason pedigree in that clubhouse.
Vladdy spent all but 30 games at 1st, and Matt Chapman played 153 games at 3rd last season. Based on last years numbers, Longoria would get to start about 40 games for the Jays…
Also, why would Matt Chapman, a righty bat, take time away from facing tough lefties? His splits say he’s pretty much even to either righties or lefties.
For some reason i had a brain fart and thought Chapman batted LH. I do still like having someone with more postseason experience than the current roster but probably longoria is not the best fit
Wherever he goes, it would be wise for the hitting coach to attempt to transform Bellinger into a contact hitter in an effort to get his glove in the game and given his situation, he should oblige.
Hey Longoria, you want to Play? You want a Contract??? Let me do the Talking.
– Your Agent
wouldn’t hate seeing bellinger in milwaukee… with a young crop of OF due up soon, Bellinger could start in CF and at worst, platoon with Tellez at 1B
I think Bellinger would be a good add for Boston and for him. Looking at his propensity to pull the ball having that short porch in left might get on the ball longer and forget about trying to pull. He wouldn’t be the first lefty that got away from pulling and becoming a better hitter by trying to go to left.
The Mariners should go after Bellinger, while hoping for a similar resurgence to the one Suarez had. We also need another OF, especially with the uncertainty of Winker going forward, and Kelenic can’t be relied upon as of yet. Adding Bellinger to the mix would be a dart worth throwing at the board and hoping it sticks. You just don’t hit 47 HR with a .300 average then forget how to hit overnight, it’s only been 2 FULL seasons since then. I would be more than happy with .250/.320/.450 with 25-30 HR. And if nothing else it adds competition, which is only a good thing, from a performance standpoint for everyone involved. And if it doesn’t work out we just move on. Just don’t give him a ridiculous contract.
If the Mariners weren’t in such need of hitting, I’d like to see them take a flyer on Bellinger. I wouldn’t mind if the M’s gave him an invite to spring training. I’m not sure I’d want to see them sign him to a deal prior to that, because they already have an outfielder with decent speed and a good glove who doesn’t hit well (Kelenic, age 23). Taylor Trammell, 25, is another light-hitting Seattle outfielder who may not have as much speed but has yet to make an error at the major league level. Granted, Bellinger’s bat didn’t fall off a cliff that long ago. If they could get him on some kind of low-risk low-cost one-year deal, then maybe. He can still field well at least, and could be more immediately helpful than Kelenic or Trammell (and who knows, one of those two could be traded).
Did Longoria actually adjust his preferences or was it a case of the media blurting something out that has been proven false once the person who actually knows the truth made his preferences known?
If your team needs a CF, what direction would you go?
Cody Bellinger has an above average glove, and has had a solid bat in the past. The last couple of seasons haven’t been as kind to him at the plate.
Kevin Kiermaier is generally considered to have a gold glove/near-GG glove, but has never been reliable at the plate.
It money weren’t an issue, who would you sign?
That is an excellent question. I would be more inclined to go for Bellinger simply because he’s five years younger, has better power, and at age 27 could still regain some of his hitting skills. Kiermaier is 32 and has had no similar past successes in his career. He could end up as some kind of weird late-bloomer, but his track record seems established. Either way, you’d be getting excellent defense in CF, which can be critically important. Unless your team sees CF defense as its priority, at this point it seems either player could be good to have as a 4th outfielder, defensive replacement or pinch-runner. As a Mariners fan I see no reason for the M’s to pursue either player, but if I’m a team looking for CF answers either guy could be helpful.
Even if every 2022 plate appearance for Bellinger was copy & pasted to the 2023 season, I think his overall slash line (aside from HR’s) improves rather significantly. Simply because of the upcoming ban of exaggerated shifts! Some months ago MLB Tonight used quite a few of Bellinger’s at bats from 2022 that resulted in pull side groundouts/line outs. It included a lot of very routine put-outs.
After implementing the rule change and some clever video editing using the most probable defensive positioning, the routine plays resulted in clear base hits through the holes.
I don’t recall the exact number of at-bats they used but just using the law of averages in Baseball proves to be accurate more often than not. The analysts all seem to think it will inevitably lead to a significant league wide increase of hits, runners on base and overall offensive production. The rule change will obviously have the biggest impact on the players with the most drastic % of balls in play to their pull side. Bellinger was one of many players highlighted in the segment, but clearly he is one of the guys who analyst’s expect to benefit the most.
If it increases his average from .210 to .230 or .235 along with his isn’t that more than respectable for a #8 Batter? Now add the defensive value! Still not an $18mil-yr player, but definitely a solid everyday CF!
I defend the guy so often because Dodgers Fans and others have singled him and his 2yrs of struggling out. He’s unfortunately and unfairly been viewed as the main reason for the lack of the team’s playoff success! It’s just such a misguided opinion and a lack of understanding the team as a whole and in baseball in general