Dodgers Need an outfielder. Cody Bellinger available.
So eight years deprived him Rookie of the Year Arrivessix years from his date Best Player of the 2019 Seasonand three years later unceremonious end Given his tenure with the Dodgers, could the team and its once beloved homegrown slugger truly reunite this winter?
It's not impossible, as the Dodgers are believed to have Bellinger on their radar as they evaluate their free agent options.
There are plenty of opportunities in the off-season, but Moderate expectations for now From the Dodgers front office, Bellinger is something of a wild card in the team's potential winter plans.
He's not the best outfielder in this year's market, which is led by former Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker and the $400 million-plus bidding war he's expected to spark.
But for a team like the Dodgers, Bellinger could be a better (and more familiar) fit, providing positional versatility and financial flexibility that a player like Tucker wouldn't have.
True, the seriousness of the Dodgers' interest in Bellinger, first reported by ESPN, remains unclear. But the possibility itself would make this one of the more intriguing early storylines of the winter, representing a potentially brighter option for the club to consider as it seeks a squad upgrade in 2026.
By this point in the offseason, of course, the Dodgers had signaled their reluctance to add more lucrative, long-term free agent deals to their roster. constantly aging core. This is evident in their pursuit of pitchers, with their preference seemingly short term deal after he was burned by heavy bullpen spending last year. It has also impacted their outlook on the foreign market, cooling summer expectations that they would emerge as leading contenders in the Tucker Lottery.
After all, the Dodgers currently have two starting outfielders on their roster. Teoscar Hernandez (who is entering into the second of a three-year, $66 million deal) and Andy Pages (who is finishing the campaign with 27 players in his second MLB season). They have plenty of depth options at the position, from Alex Call to Ryan Ward and the versatility provided by utility players Tommy Edman and Hyesung Kim (and maybe even backup catcher Dalton Rushing, who could experiment in the outfield again in 2026).
Cody Bellinger was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2017 and the National League MVP in 2019, but he has struggled in his last few seasons with the Dodgers.
(Associated Press)
They also, importantly, have a promising wave of up-and-coming players who are expected to reach the majors in the next 2-3 years. This group is led by Josue De Paula (the top prospect in their farm system); Eduardo Quintero (2025 Minor League Hitter of the Year); Zihir Hope, Mike Sirota, James Tibbs III and Zach Erhard (promising talent acquired in trades over the last two years); and Charles Davalan and Kendall George (recent first-round draft picks).
The team would still like to add another outfielder to its roster in 2026, most likely a left-handed hitter. The team hopes to find an improved replacement for Michael Confortoafter his dismal performance on his one-year, $17 million contract last season.
At the same time, however, the Dodgers want to maintain their long-term flexibility at the position, so their chances of giving someone like Tucker the 10-year contract he's expected to get seem questionable at best.
Bellinger, however, has a different proposal regarding free agents.
He's a couple years older than Tucker and will turn 31 next season, but he's also likely to get a contract roughly half that length and much less guaranteed money; Most projections have it in five to six years and in the $150 million to $175 million range (though it could reasonably surpass those numbers if its market materializes well).
Most importantly, Bellinger also offers positional flexibility. He can currently play all three outfield positions and remains an extra corner defender. He could eventually move to first base, making him (for a team like the Dodgers) a potential future successor Freddie Freeman.
Another key factor: Bellinger is a much different player than he was when the Dodgers declined to offer him a contract at the end of the 2022 season.
Bellinger then had two consecutive years of poor performance after undergoing shoulder surgery following the 2020 World Series. From 2021 to 2022, he hit .193, struck out over 27% of the time, and had an OPS+ of 66 (an advanced stat where 100 is considered league average).
On the other hand, the former MVP winner has enjoyed a mid-career resurgence over the past three years. Playing for the Chicago Cubs (who signed Bellinger ahead of the 2023 season) and the New York Yankees (who traded him last offseason), he hit .281, struck out just 15% of the time and had an OPS+ of 125. He also hit 29 home runs last season, his most since his 47 in his 2019 MVP season. year.
Of course, Bellinger did benefit from the hitter-friendly atmosphere at Yankee Stadium, where he threw 18 of his long balls last year. He also doesn't hit the ball as often as he did during his prime years with the Dodgers. However, he has improved his approach, honed more consistent hitting mechanics and balanced platoon splits, batting .353 against left-handed pitching in 2025.
These successes served as a reminder of Bellinger's amazing talent, as well as a sign of his growing maturity as he enters his 10th year in the profession.
Now the question is whether all of this will be enough for the Dodgers to make a legitimate attempt to bring him back.
The nature of free agency, of course, means Bellinger will likely land elsewhere this winter. He is expected to attract widespread interest on the open market, starting with the incumbent Yankees (especially if their other free agent outfielder, Trent Grisham, declines a qualifying offer). Meanwhile, the Dodgers remain best positioned to explore the trade market for outfield additions, possessing a high-end farm system that could make them a factor for everyone from Stephen Kwan to Brandon Donovan to Jarren Duran.
If Bellinger were to start a war of his own, the Dodgers likely wouldn't be willing to overpay (at least in their opinion) for his services.
But for now, the possibility of a reunion at least seems to exist – thanks to Bellinger's versatile approach, recent revival and long-standing familiarity with the franchise.
Years after his breakout and then hiatus during his first stint with the Dodgers, he could be in their winter plans again this offseason.
