On Friday afternoon, the Dodgers made the difficult decision to non-tender outfielder Cody Bellinger, who would have been due to make about $18 million in arbitration. Bellinger, of course, was the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year and the 2019 NL Most Valuable Player, but he’s posted a combined OPS+ of just 64 over the past two seasons. Shoulder and leg injuries surely played a part in his struggles, but thus far he hasn’t been able to get things figured out offensively.
After the announcement came down, Los Angeles president of baseball operations talked with the media about how tough the decision was.