Despite Cody Bellinger's recent injury setbacks, his agent tells the Cubs that the former MVP is worth the wait.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger has been pushed to the forefront of trade talks in recent weeks after suffering a minor injury in mid-May.
Bellinger suffered a bone bruise after making a leaping catch against the wall, and three weeks later, he still hasn't been cleared for action. The former Dodgers star's return date remains up in the air, and it's wholly possible he may undertake a rehab assignment to the minors before being reinstated.
Amid talk of Bellinger's concerning injury history, will the Cubs choose to part with the resurgent slugger ahead of the MLB trade deadline?
Bellinger's agent warns the club against making any rash decisions.
Scott Boras told The Athletic:
"You listen, you listen, you listen. As far as the control they own until the end of the season, of course, you look at it. But there aren't many center fielders that are five-tool players who are 27 years of age."
Boras is obviously in Bellinger's clubhouse rooting for him, and so are many Cubs fans as well.
Scott Boras signals to Cubs that he wants Cody Bellinger to stay in Chicago
Bellinger signed a one-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cubs last November in a prove-it deal that started paying dividends in the first month of the 2023 season.
The two-time All-Star started red-hot for his new team in April, slashing .297/.371/.604 with an above-average strikeout rate and one of the best slugging percentages in the league. Bellinger ran into a bit of a cold spell in May, and him getting injured against the Houston Astros on May 15 didn't help his comeback.
Bellinger's impact on the Cubs has nonetheless given the club hope for the playoffs, albeit at this point in the season, Chicago's front office may be sellers rather than buyers at the deadline barring a significant uptick in team form.
The Cubs are currently five and a half games out of first place in a pitiful division. Without Bellinger, Chicago has lost some power in the batting rotation, though veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman has served as a surprising bright spot in filling in for the former NL MVP.
From Boras' perspective, it makes sense as to why he would want the Cubs to hold onto Bellinger for at least the 2023 season. Bellinger is set to be a free agent next offseason, and once he returns from injury, he can work on jacking up his value on the open market — assuming he continues to ease into his former dominant form rather than regress from it.
Bellinger himself has said he's feeling "pretty confident" he can find his groove again; yet one needs only point to the end of his Dodgers' tenure, when various injuries led to his startling offensive decline back in 2020.
The decision to trade Cody Bellinger will obviously come down to Jed Hoyer and the Cubs brass, but Scott Boras is only trying to buy more time for his client to make the comeback he knows Bellinger is capable of.
