One of the most fascinating subplots of the Dodgers’ tough decision whether to offer Cody Bellinger a contract by Friday afternoon’s tender deadline is where the former MVP might end up if Los Angeles decides to part ways with him. It could become a very real question just hours from now.
L.A. could just choose to keep Bellinger and go to arbitration with him, although he’d definitely make at least $14 million and probably somewhere in the $17-18 million range. They could also choose to non-tender him and try to negotiate a lower-dollar deal, perhaps an incentive-laden multi-year contract with options or opt-outs.