Quite a few eyebrows were cocked over the weekend in response to Bob Nightengale’s report that Cody Bellinger has yet to receive a formal contract offer, but that really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The key here is that “formal” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Discussions have taken place and teams are aware of the number(s) being sought by Bellinger and Scott Boras, it’s just obvious that the asking price has remained too high to merit a real proposal.
Though not nearly as scandalous as the idea that Kris Bryant turned down an offer from the Cubs, there are some similarities here in terms of player representation and the idea that the figure in question may be “well north of $200 million.