Cody Bellinger was projected as one of the biggest free-agent targets last winter, with one prominent outlet predicting him to land as much as 12 years and $264 million. And while that was ludicrous to the tune of a nine-figure increase over other optimistic guesses, there were rumors that agent Scott Boras was seeking close to $200 million and/or 10 years for his client. Nothing approaching those asks materialized, so Bellinger returned to Chicago on a three-year, $80 million deal that allows Bellinger to opt out after either of the first two seasons.
The consensus at the time seemed to be that it was good value for the Cubs as long as the versatile fielder performed at something approaching his 2023 levels and then opted out immediately.