Pressure on the Cubs to sign this outstanding talent is growing.
The Chicago Cubs have been playing a dangerous game with Cody Bellinger all offseason. The team needs him and wants him back, but isn’t willing to meet his considerable contract demands.
The two sides have been locked in a stalemate for over two months with no end in sight. That could be about to change, however, as the Cubs are now facing serious pressure to sign Bellinger. For starters, time is becoming a significant factor. Spring Training is only a few weeks away, and Chicago is running out of time to strike a deal with Bellinger.
Moreover, the greatest backup plan for the Cubs is out of the question. Rhys Hoskins, a former first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, inked a $34 million, two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. Hoskins will now have plenty of opportunities to rub it in whenever the Cubs face the Brewers, which is even worse than the fact that he won’t be visiting Chicago.
Chicago just lost a lot of negotiating power with Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, without Hoskins as a backup plan. The Cubs practically have to sign Bellinger at this point to keep a huge hole from developing in their lineup because they still need a first baseman (Michael Busch isn’t the solution).
Chicago has been waiting for Bellinger’s price to drop for months, but they are running out of time. Before it’s too late, the Cubs must give him what he wants; if not, another team will move in and abandon them With nothing in hand. .