Cody Bellinger is working to get back to MVP form.
"He is always working, according to [Jameson] Taillon," Jon Heyman said on 670 the Score with Mully & Haugh. "He's the first one there and he's a very serious guy. . . The guy who is most focused on improving. And certainly, in his case, getting back to where he was."
It's comforting for Cubs fans to know Bellinger is not messing around with the Cubs.
If he can get back to MVP form, he'll be a major asset to the Cubs. During his MVP season with the Dodgers in 2019, he slashed .305/.406/.629 hitting a whopping 47 home runs and driving in 115 RBIs. He led MLB in total bases, taking 351 that season.
His play drastically declined after that season. Last year, he slashed .210/.265/.389 from the plate. In 2021, his batting average finished at .165 in Los Angeles. The Cubs brought him in on a one-year "prove it" type deal. However, his compensation is relatively comfortable, supplying him with $17.5 million this season.
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Injuries have hampered Bellinger from returning to form. Before the 2021 season, he fractured his fibula and was able to play in just 95 games that season. In an unthinkable move, the Dodgers non-tendered him in November, sending him to free agency and into the hands of the Cubs.
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The Cubs hope he can return to elite form in Chicago.
"We're talking about a guy who was an MVP," Heyman said. "You always like a one-year signing. But in this case, the upside is huge. If he can get anywhere close to that, that's going to be a major bargain."