Dodgers non-tender Cody Bellinger, making him free agent

Cody Bellinger, a 27-year-old outfielder who was an MVP as just lately as 2019, is anticipated to be non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers, a considerably anticipated transfer that nonetheless encapsulates his precipitous downfall offensively, a supply instructed ESPN on Friday, confirming a report by The Athletic.

Bellinger was because of make one thing within the neighborhood of $18 million in 2023, which might have been his closing season earlier than free company. As a substitute, he’ll enterprise into the free-agent market a 12 months early — although the Dodgers may all the time renegotiate a unique contract, maybe one which covers a number of years at a decrease charge.

Regardless, a Dodgers group coming off back-to-back 100-plus-win seasons is in sudden want of a middle fielder. Bellinger continued to offer Gold Glove-caliber protection at that place, along with plus velocity on the bases, however his struggles offensively turned an excessive amount of to abdomen at his present charge. Groups confronted a Friday deadline to determine whether or not to tender a 2023 contract to their arbitration-eligible gamers.

Bellinger was named the Nationwide League’s Most Priceless Participant after a 2019 season by which he slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 dwelling runs, 115 RBIs and 15 stolen bases whereas being price 7.7 FanGraphs wins above substitute. Since then, although, he has slashed .203/.272/.376 over a stretch of 295 regular-season video games. His .648 OPS from 2020 to 2022 ranked 299th out of the 338 certified hitters throughout that stretch.

On the heels of an MVP and coming off the COVID-19-shortened spring coaching, Bellinger rejoined the Dodgers in the summertime of 2020 with an overhauled batting stance that he struggled with all through the shortened season. He then suffered a shoulder damage throughout a house run celebration within the NL Championship Sequence that necessitated offseason surgical procedure.

Recovering from that damage was seen as a part of the explanation for his struggles in 2021, when his batting common plummeted to .165. He switched to a extra primary strategy down the stretch — decreasing his fingers, choking up on the bat — and produced within the postseason, inspiring hope heading into 2022. However Bellinger struggled as soon as extra, batting .210 with 19 dwelling runs in 144 video games for a Dodgers group that set a franchise document with 111 victories. A telling signal got here within the ensuing playoffs, proper earlier than the group was eradicated by the San Diego Padres within the NL Division Sequence, when Bellinger sat on the bench with an opposing right-hander on the mound in Sport 4.

It may need been his closing picture in a Dodger uniform.