Cody Bellinger's Fate Is Sealed By Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers had until 8pm Friday to decide on the future of Cody Bellinger. With the former MVP set to earn $18M in arbitration in 2023, the team has made a decision to cut the beleaguered outfielder loose. 

The Dodgers will non-tender Cody Bellinger, making him a free agent per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/LJZ5gcw1HW

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) November 18, 2022

Just three years after being named NL MVP, the Dodgers have decided to non-tender Bellinger, making him a free agent.  But as noted by Ken Rosenthal, they could still try to re-sign him for less than the $18M. But a look at the numbers over the past two years clearly explains why they made this move.

Bellinger -- .193/.256/.355 slash line w/ 244 strikeouts in 900 plate appearances over the past two seasons. Had .611 OPS and 64 OPS+ in that span. https://t.co/R31czglmEh

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 18, 2022

Bellinger has hit .193 with a .611 OPS (and a 64 OPS+) in 2021/2022. In 2019, he hit 44 HR with 115 RBI and an OPS of 1.035. It's been a puzzling steep decline. 

One contending team in the American League has already been mentioned as a possible suitor now that Bellinger is a free agent. 

Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports