Cody Bellinger say there is only one thing keeping he in Chicago Cubs.

Bellinger turns down the Cubs’ qualifying offer.

Chicago Later in the winter, Cody Bellinger will sign a new contract as a free agency, but in the interim, the Cubs needed to complete some paperwork involving the talented outfielder.

The Cubs offered a one-year, $20.325 million qualifying offer to Bellinger for the 2024 season, but Bellinger turned it down on Tuesday. When Chicago extended the offer last week, it was anticipated to have that effect. Should Bellinger sign with another team, it was a necessary step to ensure Draft pick compensation the next summer.

At the GM Meetings last week, Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, made it clear where things stood with the Cubs and his client at the time.

In Arizona, Boras told reporters, “When he came to Chicago, he just feasted on Major League pitching.” In all honesty, I believe Chicago has all the amenities of a complete Belli. Thus, in order to retain Bellinger, they will need to relax their restrictions.