The Chicago Cubs took their time, but they are now making moves in MLB free agency. Japanese ace Shota Imanaga and veteran reliever Hector Neris could be impactful additions to a pitching staff that fell off a bit near the end of the 2023 season. The front office will have to address its lineup at some point, though.

The easiest way to do that might be via a reunion, but fans will need to be patient. “The Cubs are the most likely landing spot for Cody Bellinger, multiple people in the baseball industry told me this week, although there is no indication that Bellinger is close to choosing a team,” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Tuesday.

Even before the offseason officially began, it was obvious that Bellinger would be a difficult player to predict. The combination of his All-Star 2023 campaign and past struggles made a stalemate seemingly unavoidable. Teams are surely worried that the outfielder/first baseman will regress again and be a costly investment going forward.

Bellinger fell off a cliff after winning National League MVP in 2019, succumbing to injuries and lengthy batting slumps. His days of being an All-Star player appeared to be over, but the Cubs acquired him on a low-cost, low-risk deal last offseason. After hitting .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs in 2023, the 28-year-old is looking to cash out.

And so, the waiting game continues. Chicago is probably going to try to outlast the rest of the market and hope that Cody Bellinger decides to stay in the place where he resurrected his career. Spring Training is less than a month away.