Chicago Cubs finalize Bellinger contract after trading a minor leaguer to the White Sox
Chicago Cubs' Cody Bellinger waits to hit against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Sept. 15, 2023, in Phoenix. Bellinger is going back to the Cubs, agreeing to an $80 million, three-year contract. The slugger can opt out of the deal after each of the first two seasons, according to a person familiar with the agreement who spoke to the AP on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024 on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical. Credit: AP/Matt York
MESA, Ariz. — The Chicago Cubs finalized Cody Bellinger's $80 million, three-year contract on Tuesday after they traded left-hander Bailey Horn to the White Sox, clearing a spot on their 40-man roster.
Bellinger, who turns 29 in July, will make $27.5 million this year. He has a $27.5 million player option for 2025 with a $2.5 million buyout that would be payable Dec. 31, 2024. There is a $25 million player option for 2026 with a $5 million buyout that would be payable in equal installments on Jan. 15, 2026, and Jan. 15, 2027. He also gets a hotel suite on road trips.
Bellinger hit a career-best .307 with 26 homers, 97 RBIs and 20 steals in 130 games with the Cubs last season.
The Cubs sent Horn to the White Sox for minor league right-hander Matt Thompson.
The 26-year-old Horn, a fifth-round pick by the White Sox in the 2020 amateur draft, went 7-3 with a 4.21 ERA in 45 appearances over two minor league stops last year. He finished the season with Triple-A Iowa.
“Any time you can pick up a left-handed pitcher with some ability, you try to do it,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “I mean he just adds value to the organization. It adds competition. Left-handed pitchers are hard to find.”
To make room for Horn on their 40-man roster, the White Sox placed right-hander Jesse Scholtens on the 60-day injured list with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Thompson, a second-round selection in the 2019 amateur draft, played for Double-A Birmingham last year. The Houston native went 6-15 with a 4.85 ERA in 27 starts.
