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Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has already said he doesn't plan to be especially active in free agency this offseason, but dream with us for a moment.
In his ranking of the Top 45 MLB free agents for 2024-25 for The Athletic, former MLB GM Jim Bowden ranked Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger at No. 14 and called the Pirates a "best fit" for the former National League MVP.
On the surface, it makes sense; the Pirates need bats, and they could use the outfield help. Bellinger slashed .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs and 78 RBI over 569 plate appearances in 2024. The year before, he registered an .881 OPS with 26 homers. Meanwhile, the Pirates ranked 27th in OPS in 2024, and not a single Pirates player reached the 25-homer mark this year.
Bellinger won the NL MVP award with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2019, when he slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs and 115 RBI. He is no longer the offensive juggernaut he once was, but he would still be an improvement over several of the Pirates' outfield options at present.
Bellinger can also play above-average defense at all three outfield positions, winning a Gold Glove in 2019 for his outstanding defensive play in right field. His presence on the Pirates' roster could go a long way toward shoring up a leaky outfield corps that just lost another Gold Glove winner in Michael A. Taylor.
"Bellinger has won an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, two Silver Slugger awards, a Gold Glove Award and has been an All-Star twice in his eight-year career," Bowden wrote. "However, his slash line over the past three seasons has been a roller coaster ride, which makes it difficult for teams to assess which version they would be getting in the coming years."
Cody Bellinger linked to Pirates in free agency, but it feels unrealistic
Now comes the reality check. Bowden predicted Bellinger's next contract to be four years at $112 million. That's going to be a nonstarter for Pittsburgh.
The Pirates' highest-paid outfielder under contract for 2025 is left fielder Bryan Reynolds, whose $12.25 million annual salary is part of the richest contract in franchise history (eight years, $106.75 million). If Reynolds' contract is the gold standard, and Bellinger is expected to make more than twice what Reynolds does in 2025, Cherington and co. won't be interested, no matter how good of a fit he may be.
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