Slugger Cody Bellinger declined his end of a $25 million mutual option for 2024 with the Chicago Cubs and will test free agency.
Bellinger, 28, batted .307 with 26 homers and 97 RBIs last season after signing a one-year, $17.5 million contract. The rebound performance was impressive for Bellinger, who was cut by the Los Angeles Dodgers last November.
Bellinger had a $12.5 million salary this year and gets a $5 million buyout.
He followed up a National League MVP season in 2019 while playing with the Dodgers with three down seasons. He batted .239, .165 and .210 in successive campaigns from 2020-22.
A two-time All-Star, Bellinger is a career .258 hitter with 178 homers and 519 RBIs in 875 games with the Dodgers and Cubs.
