The Dodgers and Cody Bellinger agreed to a one-year, $16.1MM contract ahead of today’s arbitration deadline, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Bellinger made $11.5MM last season, a record amount for a player in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Bellinger is represented by Scott Boras. As a Super-Two player, Bellinger has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining before his potential free agency following the 2023 season.
Bellinger’s record salary last season came on the heels of a National League MVP season in which he produced a .305/.406/.629 slash line and 7.1 bWAR. While his Dodgers got over the hump to win the World Series this season, Bellinger posted a mere mortal .239/.333/.455 line at the plate during the regular season. Despite seeing a year-over-year drop from 162 wRC+ to 114 wRC+ this season, the Dodgers saw fit to reward Bellinger with a sizable raise regardless. MLBTR’s Matt Swartz projected Bellinger would have received an arbitration award somewhere between $11.5MM and $15.9MM. The model based on 2020’s numbers alone was definitely too conservative, as he was going to get a raise of some sort, but it’s still interesting to see the Dodgers agree to a number beyond even our highest projection.
While Bellinger’s offensive numbers may have been down, he remained as central as ever to the Dodgers’ efforts. The 25-year-old led all of baseball with eight outs above average while manning centerfield for the Dodgers, which the Dodgers certainly could include in their valuation of Bellinger, even if arbitration panels don’t typically overly weigh defensive metrics such as OAA.
crazy that hes still only 25
It’d be interesting to see how the dodgers keep their payroll. Their young players are gonna get huge pay days. Corey Seager is gonna test the open market, so it won’t be shocking to see him sign with another team.
I have been saying this for a long time, dodgers will utilize bellinger while he is still cheap and move him before he becomes a free agent. He has been streaky his entire career and not someone that I see producing at his first half of 2019 pace consistently. I think this is why dodgers locked up mookie the more proven consistent player of the 2.
Dodgers main focus is seager at over 300 million over 10 years, and the results from that ordeal can help bring into clearer picture what happens with bellinger. Also have to think buehler will be getting quiet a pay day around that same time and dodgers even with their embarrassment of riches won’t be able to retain all 3 at top value.
We’ll see how it plays out. While Bellinger’s bat can be inconsistent he has an elite glove. Having Bellinger at CF and Mookie at RF has to be reassuring for Dodger pitchers. He is so athletic and covers so much space, and also has a good arm. True though that the Dodgers can’t keep everyone, nor should they. Tough decisions for Friedman in the next couple of years. Buehler and Seager are probably just ahead of Bellinger if you could only keep 2 out of the three. But things change as they say, especially if Bellinger can get more consistent at the plate.
Yeah and you have to think the haul to get bellinger will restock the dodgers farm and to continue their dominance for years to come. I know friedman will make the tough decision but it will be the right one, just be glad we aren’t the ones making it.
Dodgers have a 100 million coming off books next season. They also have arguably the best front office in baseball. If any franchise can figure out who to pay of the soon to be expensive core while remaining an elite, it’s the Dodgers.
Money coming off the books is overrated unless it represents bad contracts for unproductive players. Productive players have to be replaced with equally productive players or the team goes downhill. The Dodgers don’t have any big-ticket nonproductive players, so realistically lot of the money coming off the books will be going right back onto the books.
They have approximately 16 million in dead money coming off the books, Kazmir, Maeda & minor league bust Yasiel
Sierra
Looks like things are getting too spicy for the pepper.
Just saw that episode the other day.
What’s a fair contract extension for both sides? They gotta keep him long term.
Would think it’ll take something similar to Mookie’s contract, though you could argue less. But i’d imagine he’d want at least 300 million +.
10 years 300M
That’s a 40% raise exactly.
That would put Seager at 11.06. But bet he bumps to closer to 12 if there is an agreement.
I would lock him up longterm. Haters gonna hate
.331 OBP and he gets a huge raise, wild.
Dodgers have to wait & see how he does this year. Hopefully a full 162 game season. So far he’s been up & down.
Dodgers eventually can’t afford everyone. Seager could up in Texas.
Why Texas? If Seager leaves, would the leave for a team that actually has a chance of winning?
They win 3 hours south of Dallas
I hope the Beatles were wrong about “Cant buy me Love”… we are going to need it at a later date
Smart move but has to have you thinkin……Are They going past the CBT or is this a No Turner pre-cursor – The world where everything combines beautifully under the CBT is beginning to seem very difficult
OoooOoO I need your WAR , babe. 8 days a week
I can’t Imagine John being thrilled w your comment
I don’t understand how his salary evaluation works? In a shortened season, his offensive stats were clearly diminished than the previous year. So why does he get a 40% raise?
such crap they should be paying the man more.