Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: MLB Insider Believes LA Will Still Tender a Struggling Cody Bellinger This Offseason

It wasn’t too long ago that Cody Bellinger broke the rookie home run record and was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 or became one of the youngest players to win an MVP award in 2019. However, after what we’ve all seen this season as well as last season, those years seem so long ago. 

How quickly things can change in this game. 



From a former MVP to a player that fans groan about when they see him step up to the plate, Bellinger has been through a lot in his first 4 big league seasons. After this season he will be two years away from hitting free agency, and the conversation about it has changed from how long and how much should the Dodgers lock him for to should the Dodgers even offer him a contract. I’m sure many fans are split on the decision and it’s unsure what the front office is thinking.

They have money to spend, but with players like Corey Seager and Max Scherzer hitting free agency this offseason and others like Walker Buehler and Julio Urías set to follow soon, decisions will have to be made.

While on MLB Network, MLB Insider Jon Morosi addressed what he thinks will happen in the short term. 

“But again I would say still a better chance than not that he’s a Dodger in 2022 but he really has to prove things here in the next several weeks to come and also into the offseason as well.”

So far this season, Bellinger has hit .161 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI in 88 games. Part of his issue at the plate could be attributed to his shoulder injury or even tinkering with his swing. Whatever the problem is, it may cost him big time if he can’t right the ship fast. His defense can only bring so much value to the table as we’ve seen he already lost a starting gig when everyone is fully healthy. 

On the bright side, he has changed up his stance and has looked a little more productive, but the Dodgers will need to see more if they’re going to open up the checkbook for him.

NEXT: Can We Give Dave Roberts Just a Little Credit?

26 Comments

  1. They will non tender him, trade him away, or designate him for assignment. He deserves to be on a losing team. He is not worthy of another World Series ring at all.

  2. He is struggling a lot because of the shifts. Some fangraph statistics show that he has changed his behavior on the plate. He trying to make contact in a lower part of the ball, sending it to left field. But he’s bad at doing it. I don’t think we should let him go. Give him an off-season to figure things out. 1 season won’t erase what he did in the previous 4 seasons.
    If he can’t figure things out, okay. But he deserves a little more time.
    And adversity requires adaptation. If he adapts to this, he will be unstoppable.

    1. Everyone else adapts to the shift. It’s simply not an excuse for Bellinger’s batting average at .god awful

  3. So, the man has to re-invent himself at the price of a fat contract?
    He’s not earning what he makes now. Of course, that’s beside the point. LA is the second wealthiest ballclub in MLB , they can afford to throw money away, hoping this guy gets his shit together .

    Hey, looks like Turners old lady is making him cut his hair. That clown on the mound for Cincy looks like a………………Clown.

    1. Sounds likenthers is somenconfusion on this writers part. First there will be another year (or two?) of arbitration. His salary might go up, but it shouldn’t. They are expected to keep him at least thru next season and see how he does.
      When he becomes a free agent that’s when the harder decision must be made.IMO the money should be spent to keep Buehler and Urias, there are some good outfielders in the farm system, but good pitching is always hard to come by.

  4. I still like the “old” Turner style-reminds me of “Animal” from the Muppets. And YES, since he’s been engaged/married, his locks seem to be getting shorter and more trimmed. BRING BACK THE ”ANIMAL”!!! That’s what made him even more fun!

  5. ” looked a little more productive”

    A very, very, little more productive, if you cherry pick which days.

    Tonight: 0-4 2 Strikeouts.

  6. Geez Dodgers fans, Imagine what could be if Matt Beaty had been playing All along….Wow, imagine that, Beaty 2 hits, drove in the ONLY run, and didn’t cost the game because of how Horrible of a defensive player he is… A Real Head scratcher…. Why didn’t the dodgers see this earlier? Oh that’s right,Beaty was ONLY in the line up because of a injury to someone…….

    1. Well Kirk, if Dodgers face the Reds in that WC game, they’ll probably face Castillo and if he’s on in that game as he was tonight…you know the rest of the story. Tonight’s non offensive showing is an example of what’s most concerning as to where they end up at noseason’s end and whether Dodgers get past that 1 and done game or not.

      1. Paul, tonights game was a complete summary of what you’ve been saying all along. We learned tonight that Sherzer HAS to pitch in that game, and the Dodgers can be shut down by ANY 8-15 pitcher….

    2. Roberts the Clown is a stubborn fool and plays his favorites. Also, if he doesn’t like you…

  7. Dodgers front office really have to ask themselves the question: “Is Cody Bellinger still a major league player?” I’m not sure about that. His struggle is not just this year, his downfall started in the second half of 2019, since then he has been a subpar, below average MLB player, he just got worse and worse with time. We normally don’t see that kind of a drop-off for players going from age 24 – 26, most players get better from 24 – 26. Cody Bellinger’s drop-off is more like going from age 34 – 36.

    If you look at Cody’s Instagram page, it’s got more photos of him with that chick Chase Carter than baseball. It kind of reminds me of what happened to Pau Gasol of the Lakers, if anyone remembered. When the Lakers got swept by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Semi-Finals, Gasol completedly disappeared in that series, that was also the only time we saw Phil Jackson pounding on Gasol’s chest in Game 4, said “let’s get it going”, the only time we ever saw Phil Jackson pounding on any player’s chest. It just showed how disengaged Gasol was to basketball at the time, his mind was somewhere else. Later we found out on TMZ that some crazy Spanish chick Pau Gasol was dating at the time was mentally abusing him, totally turned his life upside down. From there Gasol was never the same player again.

    It’s all fun and game for Cody Bellinger now that he’s totally in love with his new flame, okay his head is more in the girl than baseball. Okay we’re happy for Cody he’s found the right girl. But just make sure that relationship doesn’t go sour, because after Cody finishes the season as the worst player in baseball, that chick could very well sent herself packing somewhere else. Unfortunately we all see this same story played out for so many other men in the exact same situation, they never fully wake up until the girl leaves them.

    1. Amen. Play Beaty and maybe even Michael Busch (who had a great spring training). How much worse can Beaty play compared to Cody? But we all know Dave Roberts will keep Cody in the lineup no matter how poorly he plays. If the Dodgers get bounced in a one game wild card in-play, both Roberts and Cody need to go in the offseason.

      1. I hear ya, but the media will coddle Roberts and use the “Injury” excuse instead of the truth that His Blatant Homer favorites MO cost this team at another championship. Plain and simple truth but the media won’t even ask him “WHY”……

  8. Please no, don’t ruin another baseball season! He is pitiful to watch, they should make him take three strikes, this way maybe he’ll walk, when he swings he stinks up the ballpark.

  9. For the first time in years i finally see that The Guggenheim Partners will be under the gun with all these up and coming free agents. Dodger fans you better get used to the idea that the team will say goodbye to several players. From what is said about dead money coming off the books in the next years it still might be tuff. Sorry fans but Kershaw must go his money should go to sherwzer, resign Seager. Here’s my block buster. Trade Bellinger to the Dbacks Katel Marte and a minor league pitching prospect. This will save his big money for Trea Turner in a couple of years. This will by them some time for a while.

    1. Marte is hitting .323. Bellinger hitting .159. If you can talk the Snakes GM into that swap I may be interested in some swamp land!

  10. Sorry but on 1 wild card game not Buhler nor Scherzer should pitch that game. Urias has won more games than both of them and Dodgers always hit when he pitches. Urias should start the game with Barnes catching him. There’s no time for Roberts to keep trying to show that Buhler is the man when he’s failed last two out of last three games. Only reason Urias era is at 2.99 is cause of Roberts stupidity whe he always pulls Julio even when he hadn’t allowed a run and doesn’t let him pitch 1 or 2 more innings that could have brought his era down .He shut him down 10 days for a little bruise on his leg after getting hit and prevented him from pitching vs pirates where easy Julio could have pitched 7 or eight shutout innings that would also brought down his era.a 1 wild card game or a one game to decide the division Julio should pitch that game with Barnes catching him.

    1. You can’t just say “this is who will pitch”. Map out the starting rotation thru the rest of the season. Unless they make a drastic change Scherzer will be in line to pitch the next game after the season ends.

  11. We could fix the Bellinger/Beatty issue simply by removing Roberts the Clown from the organization. Any person in their right minds would do the right thing.

  12. One and done if we have to face Castillo or Snell. Can’t touch either one. Offense is pathetic.

  13. Cody should sit now and in 2022 until he gets batting average up and strikeouts down. Maybe needs rehab in minors or winter ball to see pitches better. Give him one last year to get back in form or let him go.

  14. Bellinger is dipping so much that,how many mile high infield fly out, stop the dipping, level out,

  15. Cody can’t keep taking a spot and giving us zip. Beatty is reliable and a good stick, moderate glove and can hit under pressure with ROB.

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