Dodgers' 2022 non-tender of Cody Bellinger shaping up to be major influence in 2026

Dodgers fans are split on LA's reported interest in Cody Bellinger. The naysayers are still scarred by the disastrous plunge he took after his MVP season, but the supporters know that he's a different and more mature player now. He'll probably never regain his 2019 form, but he turned back into a well above-average player in his years away from the team.

The Dodgers are willing to wait to see if Kyle Tucker's market will crater so they can swoop in and offer him a four-year deal, and it's likely they're trying to do the same with Bellinger, who definitely won't get as many years or as much money as Tucker but will still command a hefty deal.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic ranked Bellinger's three most likely landing spots as the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers, in that order. Of course, we have to be skeptical about most things Bowden says, but is there a chance that Bellinger's history with the Dodgers could keep them from landing him in free agency? That non-tender in 2022, while understandable, was brutal.

Hard feelings might be able to be set aside in the name of job security and a lot of money, but if the Dodgers do end up becoming more aggressive bidders alongside the Yankees and Mets, could any lingering hard feelings influence his decision-making?

Dodgers non-tendering Cody Bellinger could come back to haunt them in free agency war

Scott Boras has both alluded to the Dodgers' interest in Bellinger and Bellinger's openness to coming back to LA, but it could easily be a ploy to get the Yankees and Mets' attention. The Dodgers usually don't like dealing with Boras, and for good reason, and they could keep themselves from becoming pawns to drive up Bellinger's price with their current strategy of waiting to see how things pan out.

But if the Dodgers end up being truly invested in the late stages of his free agency and come down to the wire with the Yankees and Mets, they could lose out, especially if they're not willing to go as high. They certainly aren't getting a discount for sentimentality's sake.

The Dodgers still need an outfielder. The internal options can and should get some reps this year, but there's a huge part of the Dodgers' fanbase that would love to see him back in Dodger blue and maybe even finishing his career out in LA, and he'd be easier to bet on Dalton Rushing or Ryan Ward.

We just have to hope that bygones will be bygones. If not, it seems likely that Bellinger ends up back in New York.