The Chicago Cubs are entering a very important offseason this winter.
Last offseason, the Cubs swooped into the Milwaukee Brewers coaching staff and stole their manager, Craig Counsell.
Counsell now has a complete season with the Cubs under his belt and just received a huge, shocking boost to his 2025 roster.
Cubs superstar Cody Bellinger has officially opted into his $27.5 million player option for the 2025 season according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan.
Bellinger, 29, slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, 23 doubles and a 111 OPS+. This came a year after Bellinger was a National League MVP candidate after slugging 26 home runs with a .881 OPS.
This decision comes as a complete shock to the baseball world. Bellinger was expected to decline his option and enter unrestricted free agency, much like Blake Snell did.
Last offseason, notorious agent, Scott Boras, handled a few of his clients’ contract situations horribly. Snell, Bellinger, and Jordan Montgomery were all looking for long-term contracts that would lock them up for five, six, or seven years.
Instead, these three players would secure decent contracts, but they wouldn’t have the length that the players were looking for. All three of these players landed contracts with opt-outs after the 2024 season.
Snell opted out of his deal, as expected. Montgomery opted into his deal, as expected. But Bellinger shocked the baseball world when he opted in.
Bellinger is likely hesitant to enter free agency a year after free agency was a disaster for him.
More MLB: Mets Veteran Intends to Opt Out of Contract: Report
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