3 Former Cubs Theo Epstein Could Bring to Boston
3. Cody Bellinger, CF/1B
The last ex-Cub that Epstein could lure to the Red Sox is, ironically, someone who's yet to play under him.
With February here, Cody Bellinger remains one of the biggest names on the open market. The 28-year-old slugger is coming off a strong season with the Cubs that saw him record his most HRs (26) and RBIs (97) since his 2019 NL MVP campaign, also slashing .307/.356/.525 along the way.
Several teams have been linked to Bellinger throughout the offseason and the Red Sox are one of them. Yes, Boston already has a solid infield and its fair share of left-handed hitters, but Bellinger's bat instantly makes the lineup better.
The Red Sox averaged 4.77 runs per game last season (11th), but let's not pretend like that number didn't plummet to 3.74 in September. Averaging the latter number all season would've seen Boston finish 29th. In other words, signing Bellinger would help to ensure that the late-season trend doesn't bleed into the 2024 campaign.
Even if Bellinger hasn't played for Epstein, the executive's résumé speaks for itself. Epstein has already been a part of three championship-winning teams, which should give Bellinger more than enough reasons to want to be a part of a potential fourth.
One way or another, the Sox need to make some big moves if they want anyone to take them seriously as contenders. The betting markets have them as serious underdogs to make the postseason in 2024.
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