It’s a classic Mexican standoff between Jed Hoyer and Scott Boras – the prize is Cody Bellinger. While in the old westerns, the participants waited till the clock stuck at twelve. Here, there is no time limit. Spring Training has started, but their stare-down is as intense as ever. But this battle of wills could end in a disaster for Bellinger. What if the reunion with the Chicago Cubs falls apart before it even begins?
The discipline of President Jed Hoyer isn’t of an unknown quality. After all, he’s the one who traded away the last remnants of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series-winning team. Tough decisions are his forte, and with talks stretching so long, could he take the toughest one of them all?
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Alarm bells begin to ring for Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs
One promising news for the Cubs fans is that even after such unyielding negotiations, the Cubs remain the preferred location for Bellinger. As The Athletic’s Jim Bowden reported, “His (Bellinger’s) first choice appears to be re-signing with Chicago.” However, Bowden also noted that the stare-down between Hoyer and Boras is progressing too long. But the terrible part was when the source indicated that there was a chance that Hoyer might walk away from the deal.
It seems like Hoyer and Boras have found themselves stuck on a single record – the asking price of Cody Bellinger. While the agent wants at least $200 million for his client, Hoyer isn’t ready to splash that much for the slugger. It’s primarily because the two are focusing on different aspects of Bellinger.
On one hand, Boras has continuously used Belli’s 2019 NL MVP season and his strong 2023 as evidence of his client’s abilities. On the other hand, Hoyer and the rest of the executives can’t forget the terrible 2020-2022 years of Bellinger. But while that issue has continued, this new situation has made things more complicated.
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What if Jed Hoyer does walk away from the deal? It isn’t tough for Hoyer; he has done it before. He walked away from Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant when things didn’t suit his interests. That would assuredly affect Belli’s free agency, which is looking short of teams right now.
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A few weeks ago, it started looking like the Scott Boras magic was working again for Bellinger. He was associated with teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays, LA Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and the San Francisco Giants. It created an air of competition around Belli, but that didn’t last long. The Phillies’ links perished as quickly as they were born, and the rest have remained hot and cold. So once again, the Cubs are ahead.
The central issue has always been the high asking price of Bellinger. But then, Scott Boras is never the one to bite the bullet. As a result, this Mexican Standoff between Boras and Hoyer might get more intense soon.
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Jacob Gijy