It appears that the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t think their star outfielder Cody Bellinger could turn things around after disappointing performances in the past several seasons. The franchise announced late last week that they had non-tendered Bellinger, making him a free agent.

The 2019’s NL MVP and the Dodgers previously avoided arbitration ahead of the 2022 season and settled on a one-year deal worth $17 million. Bellinger was set to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million next year.

Despite declining to give Bellinger a new contract, the Dodgers might be interested in keeping the 27-year-old player around if they miss out on their targets in free agency. However, any potential deal would likely be at a much lower number compared to this past season.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a closing of the chapter of Cody and the Dodgers,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said about the decision.

If the Dodgers don’t return for Bellinger, he might settle for a one-year, prove-it deal with a different franchise. There should be an interest in him, especially if teams believe he can recapture some of his old magic with a change of scenery.

 When he entered the majors, Cody Bellinger looked like he will be the next legendary Dodger. He earned an All-Star nod in his rookie career before winning the NL MVP honors in 2019. After that, however, things went sideways for Scottsdale, Arizona.

Bellinger has been struggling with injuries and productivity since his MVP campaign wrapped up. This was especially the case in 2021 when he only played 95 games, batting .165 and hitting 10 homers. He launched 19 home runs in 2022, but his batting average of .210 was still far below expected.

The post Dodgers Non-Tender Cody Bellinger, Make Ex-NL MVP a Free Agent appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It will be the Los Angeles Dodgers who live to tell the story of the clash between the two winningest teams in the 2021 MLB season. The Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants in a thriller on Thursday night and punched the ticket for their fifth NL Championship Series appearance in six years.

After five scoreless innings, the Dodgers finally broke the tie at the top of the sixth when shortstop Corey Seager doubled to the left and All-Star Mookie Betts scored.  But the Giants didn’t take long to respond, with first baseman Darin Ruf hitting a 452 home run. This was the longest homer of the postseason so far.

The deadlock was broken again thanks to Cody Bellinger’s RBI single at the top of the ninth.

Then it was up to Max Scherzer, a starter in the Game 3 loss, to take it home. Scherzer delivered by pitching a hitless inning, earning a save, and propelling the Dodgers to NLCS.

“To be in that moment, with everything on the line, with the way we’ve been playing this whole series, to get the ball in that situation, man, that was a rush,” said Scherzer after the game.

“We poured everything we could into this series, and it took everything we had to beat these guys,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts added.

The Dodgers now only have the Atlanta Braves standing in the way of their return to the World Series. The Giants, on the other hand, have ended their 107-win season earlier than expected and will have to wait until 2022 to end their NLCS drought.

The post Dodgers Outlast Giants to Clinch NL Championship Series Appearance appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that star outfielder and 2019 NL Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger had undergone surgery to fix a problem with his right shoulder.

Bellinger suffered damage to his right shoulder during Game 7 of the Dodgers’ NLCS win over the Atlanta Braves while celebrating a home run with teammate Kike Hernandez.

The slugger pounded elbows with his teammate and saw his right shoulder dislocate and pop out of place. The outfielder returned to the game after suffering the injury and didn’t miss any time during the rest of the Postseason, but apparently suffered enough damage to make surgical reparation necessary.

Bellinger was one of the few surprising disappointments for the Dodgers in a magical 2020 season, as the reigning MVP hit only .239 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs.

The 25-year-old player, however, is considered to be one of the best young players in the game and is a lock to be in the Dodgers’ lineup next season.

According to the team, the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, will not keep him from returning by the time Spring Training gets underway in February.

For now, Bellinger will rehabilitate his non-throwing shoulder in Arizona and get prepared for the upcoming campaign.

The post Dodgers OF Cody Bellinger Undergoes Shoulder Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has won the National League Most Valuable Award for the 2019 season, it was announced on Friday.

Bellinger edged out Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich for the award, receiving 19 first-place votes as opposed to Yelich’s 10 for the recognition as the league’s best player.

It was a banner season for the 24-year-old Bellinger, who led the Dodgers to the best record in the National League. The dynamic hitter produced a fantastic .305/.406/.629 batting line on the year, smashing 47 home runs and racking up 115 RBIs on the season in 156 games.

Bellinger also got points for his contributions on the basepaths, stealing 15 bases, and as an above-average defender both in the outfield and at first base over the course of the year.

It’s the second major award that Bellinger adds to his trophy case after winning the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season only a couple of years ago.

Despite falling in the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals in unexpected fashion, Bellinger and the Dodgers are expected to be back at full force next season and to compete for the World Series crown.

The post Cody Bellinger Takes Home 2019 NL MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cody Bellinger is having arguably the best season of any player in all of Major League Baseball this season. While he hit 64 home runs in his first two MLB seasons, and already had 27 in 2019 heading into yesterday’s home clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he still hadn’t produced a walk-off long ball in his young career.

That changed as he launched a walk-off home run on Wednesday night in extra innings to clinch a Dodgers sweep over their division rivals.

The 23-year-old launched a massive walk-off home run to right-center field off of Arizona reliever Yoan López to propel the Dodgers to a three-game sweep over the D-Backs and increase their division lead to an astonishing 14 games.

Bellinger’s home run, the 29th he’s hit on the season, measured 442 feet.

What’s even more astounding is that the home run wasn’t even Bellinger’s first long ball of the night. He actually hit a solo home run in the second inning in his first at-bat of the game to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, looks to be the leading candidate for this year’s National League MVP honors. He’s already been named the league’s starting right fielder for next week’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.

The second home run he hit on Wednesday night is one that he’ll certainly never forget.

The post Cody Bellinger Hits First Career Walk-Off Homer to Propel Dodgers to Victory appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It appears that the Los Angeles Dodgers don’t think their star outfielder Cody Bellinger could turn things around after disappointing performances in the past several seasons. The franchise announced late last week that they had non-tendered Bellinger, making him a free agent.

The 2019’s NL MVP and the Dodgers previously avoided arbitration ahead of the 2022 season and settled on a one-year deal worth $17 million. Bellinger was set to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million next year.

Despite declining to give Bellinger a new contract, the Dodgers might be interested in keeping the 27-year-old player around if they miss out on their targets in free agency. However, any potential deal would likely be at a much lower number compared to this past season.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a closing of the chapter of Cody and the Dodgers,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said about the decision.

If the Dodgers don’t return for Bellinger, he might settle for a one-year, prove-it deal with a different franchise. There should be an interest in him, especially if teams believe he can recapture some of his old magic with a change of scenery.

 When he entered the majors, Cody Bellinger looked like he will be the next legendary Dodger. He earned an All-Star nod in his rookie career before winning the NL MVP honors in 2019. After that, however, things went sideways for Scottsdale, Arizona.

Bellinger has been struggling with injuries and productivity since his MVP campaign wrapped up. This was especially the case in 2021 when he only played 95 games, batting .165 and hitting 10 homers. He launched 19 home runs in 2022, but his batting average of .210 was still far below expected.

The post Dodgers Non-Tender Cody Bellinger, Make Ex-NL MVP a Free Agent appeared first on SportzBonanza.

It will be the Los Angeles Dodgers who live to tell the story of the clash between the two winningest teams in the 2021 MLB season. The Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants in a thriller on Thursday night and punched the ticket for their fifth NL Championship Series appearance in six years.

After five scoreless innings, the Dodgers finally broke the tie at the top of the sixth when shortstop Corey Seager doubled to the left and All-Star Mookie Betts scored.  But the Giants didn’t take long to respond, with first baseman Darin Ruf hitting a 452 home run. This was the longest homer of the postseason so far.

The deadlock was broken again thanks to Cody Bellinger’s RBI single at the top of the ninth.

Then it was up to Max Scherzer, a starter in the Game 3 loss, to take it home. Scherzer delivered by pitching a hitless inning, earning a save, and propelling the Dodgers to NLCS.

“To be in that moment, with everything on the line, with the way we’ve been playing this whole series, to get the ball in that situation, man, that was a rush,” said Scherzer after the game.

“We poured everything we could into this series, and it took everything we had to beat these guys,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts added.

The Dodgers now only have the Atlanta Braves standing in the way of their return to the World Series. The Giants, on the other hand, have ended their 107-win season earlier than expected and will have to wait until 2022 to end their NLCS drought.

The post Dodgers Outlast Giants to Clinch NL Championship Series Appearance appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that star outfielder and 2019 NL Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger had undergone surgery to fix a problem with his right shoulder.

Bellinger suffered damage to his right shoulder during Game 7 of the Dodgers’ NLCS win over the Atlanta Braves while celebrating a home run with teammate Kike Hernandez.

The slugger pounded elbows with his teammate and saw his right shoulder dislocate and pop out of place. The outfielder returned to the game after suffering the injury and didn’t miss any time during the rest of the Postseason, but apparently suffered enough damage to make surgical reparation necessary.

Bellinger was one of the few surprising disappointments for the Dodgers in a magical 2020 season, as the reigning MVP hit only .239 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs.

The 25-year-old player, however, is considered to be one of the best young players in the game and is a lock to be in the Dodgers’ lineup next season.

According to the team, the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, will not keep him from returning by the time Spring Training gets underway in February.

For now, Bellinger will rehabilitate his non-throwing shoulder in Arizona and get prepared for the upcoming campaign.

The post Dodgers OF Cody Bellinger Undergoes Shoulder Surgery appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has won the National League Most Valuable Award for the 2019 season, it was announced on Friday.

Bellinger edged out Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich for the award, receiving 19 first-place votes as opposed to Yelich’s 10 for the recognition as the league’s best player.

It was a banner season for the 24-year-old Bellinger, who led the Dodgers to the best record in the National League. The dynamic hitter produced a fantastic .305/.406/.629 batting line on the year, smashing 47 home runs and racking up 115 RBIs on the season in 156 games.

Bellinger also got points for his contributions on the basepaths, stealing 15 bases, and as an above-average defender both in the outfield and at first base over the course of the year.

It’s the second major award that Bellinger adds to his trophy case after winning the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season only a couple of years ago.

Despite falling in the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals in unexpected fashion, Bellinger and the Dodgers are expected to be back at full force next season and to compete for the World Series crown.

The post Cody Bellinger Takes Home 2019 NL MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cody Bellinger is having arguably the best season of any player in all of Major League Baseball this season. While he hit 64 home runs in his first two MLB seasons, and already had 27 in 2019 heading into yesterday’s home clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he still hadn’t produced a walk-off long ball in his young career.

That changed as he launched a walk-off home run on Wednesday night in extra innings to clinch a Dodgers sweep over their division rivals.

The 23-year-old launched a massive walk-off home run to right-center field off of Arizona reliever Yoan López to propel the Dodgers to a three-game sweep over the D-Backs and increase their division lead to an astonishing 14 games.

Bellinger’s home run, the 29th he’s hit on the season, measured 442 feet.

What’s even more astounding is that the home run wasn’t even Bellinger’s first long ball of the night. He actually hit a solo home run in the second inning in his first at-bat of the game to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, looks to be the leading candidate for this year’s National League MVP honors. He’s already been named the league’s starting right fielder for next week’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.

The second home run he hit on Wednesday night is one that he’ll certainly never forget.

The post Cody Bellinger Hits First Career Walk-Off Homer to Propel Dodgers to Victory appeared first on SportzBonanza.