Dodgers: Former GM has pretty wild take on Cody Bellinger

It’s been a rough last couple seasons for Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger. He had a poor 2020 campaign and largely struggled in the playoffs. In 2021, he’s dealt with tough injuries and has only played in 66 games. The result? A .174 average and .574 OPS.

It’s a tough scene, but luckily the Dodgers are the second-best team in MLB only trailing the division-leading San Francisco Giants … and LA is only 2.5 games out.

Imagine if Bellinger was doing anything of note? The Dodgers would be ahead!

Anyway, the frustration has been mounting for the last three months, ever since Belli returned in late May. Even though fans are rightfully fed up, nobody wants to give up on the former Rookie of the Year and MVP, right? It’s only a matter of time before he catches fire in this juggernaut lineup.

Well, former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti doesn’t seem to think so.

He appeared on AM 570’s Dodger Talk on Tuesday and thinks Mookie Betts’ imminent return should displace Bellinger.

Is Cody Bellinger the…odd man out with the Dodgers?

Here’s what Colletti had to say when asked if Bellinger seemed to be the odd man out, in a radio interview that was transcribed by Dodgers Nation:

"“I think so. It’s been a struggle. The guys that can elevate a fastball, he’s struggled with. There’s no doubt about it. You’re going to need him to really get it going again, but you also have to figure out when to do that. You have only have thirty-some games to go. You’re trailing. You have to put your best team out there.“Selectively, I think you’ll see Cody in there to try to get him on track. The way Pollock has played, he’s one of the best hitters in the game for two months now. You can’t be sitting him down. We all know how valuable CT3 is. There’s going to be time for everybody, but you’re going to see the guys who are playing the best at the moment.”"

We’re not saying Colletti is wrong, exactly, but it’s pretty jarring to even think about a guy like AJ Pollock stealing everyday reps from Bellinger … and having a convincing argument to do so. And this is coming from the guy who drafted Bellinger in 2013!

Colletti was the Dodgers’ GM from 2005-2014 before Andrew Friedman took over. During his reign, the team drafted Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Dee Gordon, Nathan Eovaldi, Kevin Gausman, Joc Pederson and Alex Verdugo, so it’s not like the man is clueless when it comes to MLB talent. He also signed Yasiel Puig and Hyun-Jin Ryu as international free agents.

He gets the short end of the stick because the Dodgers failed to capture a World Series under his watch, but does he have a point here? Should manager Dave Roberts roll with the hot hand and keep Bellinger’s playing time limited until he proves otherwise?

It’s a really tough call, but Betts’ return is going to force some sort of lineup adjustment. While some might advocate for Bellinger to continue getting as many reps as possible to rediscover his form, others will say the division race takes precedent. If the Giants weren’t shocking the baseball world, we’re probably not even discussing this, but this isn’t your typical year where LA is running away with the NL West.

Dodgers: 3 players you should be prepared to lose this winter

The Los Angeles Dodgers have several free agents and trade candidates fans should be prepared to lose this offseason, regardless of the CBA.