Dodgers News: LA Remains Undecided on Cody Bellinger's Future

He's been a starter for the Dodgers the last six seasons.

The Dodgers have a big decision to make this offseason in regards to Cody Bellinger. They have the opportunity to non-tender him, which would make him a free agent, and allow them to move on former MVP.

They have until November 18 to make that decision, and Andrew Friedman said they don't yet know what they're going to do.

Friedman said Dodgers haven't decided whether they will tender Cody Bellinger a contract yet (deadline is Nov. 18)

Said they "still very much believe in Belli’s ability" but added "we still have time to work through what everything looks like.”

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) November 9, 2022

The 2022 season was an important one for Bellinger to show that his 2021 decline was a fluke, and potentially just a result of his shoulder surgery in the offseason. He wasn't able to do that.

In 2022, Bellinger hit .210 with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs. It was a far cry from his MVP season in 2019 when he hit .305 with 47 home runs and 115 RBIs. His 2022 OPS was .654. In 2019, it was 1.035. He's clearly not the same player he once was.

Friedman said they "still very much believe in Belli's ability," so maybe they will decide to give him one last opportunity in 2023. There aren't a ton of great centerfield options on the free agent market, so if they decide to move on from Bellinger, they may be looking at Trayce Thompson and James Outman to fill the role next season. So maybe it's worth giving Bellinger one last shot to try to regain some of that 2017-2019 magic.