Contract flexibility was key for Cody Bellinger's return to Chicago Cubs

Cody Bellinger tested the market. 

He's a big name and as such, he wanted to get paid big money on a nice, long contract. After all, what's a two-time All-Star, Gold Glover, Silver Slugger and MVP worth on the open market?

Apparently not as much as Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, initially expected.

That's not to say Bellinger isn't happy with the new deal that brought him back to Chicago after a 2023 season that saw him bat .307 with a .881 OPS for the Cubs.

Bellinger ultimately inked a three-year deal worth $80 million and even though he was looking for something a bit more long-term, at 28 years old, the slugger traded in long-term stability with short-term flexibility. He has opt-outs built into his contract that allow him to test free agency again after each of the first two seasons.

Speaking on the lack of long-term offers that were available to Bellinger this offseason, Boras told the media that it had to do with the market.

"There are variables. We have some irregularity going on in this current market," he explained, per ESPN. "We have close to 11 teams that are spending less money than they did a year go ... in light of the fact we have record revenues in baseball."

And what was his message to Bellinger during the long wait for a new contract?

"The likelihood of you getting what players with your skill set normally get is probably not going to be there," Boras explained. "So you have to have another optimal plan. It includes a shorter term with flex."

Flexibility is now what Bellinger has, but it's not like he came back to Chicago just because of the contact. He's happy to again be with the Cubs.

"I didn't hide the fact, internally, that I did want to come back here," Bellinger said. "I love Wrigley Field. I love the fans. When it was coming towards the end, this was definitely something that I wanted. And both sides agreed. Happy it worked out the way it did."