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Cody Bellinger, a 27-year-old outfielder who was an MVP as recently as 2019, was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, a somewhat expected move that nonetheless encapsulates his precipitous downfall offensively.
Bellinger was due to make something in the neighborhood of $18 million in 2023, which would have been his final season before free agency. Instead, he’ll venture into the free agent market a year early, though the Dodgers and Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, can renegotiate a different contract, perhaps one that covers multiple years at a lower rate.
Regardless, a Dodgers team coming off back-to-back 100-plus-win seasons is in sudden need of a center fielder — and has cleared more than $100 million from its books, with the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Craig Kimbrel, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and David Price off the roster. Bellinger continued to provide Gold Glove-caliber defense at that position, in addition to plus speed on the bases, but his struggles offensively became too much to stomach at his current rate.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a closing of the chapter of Cody and the Dodgers,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We still very much believe in the talent of Cody and his competitive makeup, and we have interest in a reunion. We’ll continue talks with Cody and his group as he goes through this process on his end.”
Teams faced an 8 p.m. ET deadline to decide whether to tender a 2023 contract to their players, which triggered a plethora of minor trades and pre-arbitration agreements. More than 70 players were ultimately non-tendered. Among the other notables: outfielders Dominic Smith (previously with the New York Mets), Raimel Tapia (Toronto Blue Jays), Franchy Cordero (Boston Red Sox) and Adam Engel (Chicago White Sox); catchers Jorge Alfaro (San Diego Padres) and Luis Torrens (Seattle Mariners); first baseman Luke Voit (Washington Nationals); utility man Brian Anderson (Miami Marlins); and…
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