Spring training is officially underway for the Chicago Cubs, as all player personnel have arrived in Mesa, Arizona. Everyone in camp is looking to improve on a surprising 2023 that had the Cubs contending until the end of the regular season. Early projections don’t see it, but owner Tom Ricketts, President Jed Hoyer, and the rest of the Cubs organization believe they are in a position to take the NL Central Division.

Justin Steele would be looking to build on the 2023 campaign that had him in consideration for the NL Cy Young Award. Christopher Morel goes into camp with a mission to claim the role of being the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and the rest of the roster are ready to prove last year was no fluke.

But as camp kicks off, someone from the 2023 team is noticeably missing. Center fielder turned first baseman Cody Bellinger has still not signed with a team and continues his free agency. He and his agent, Scott Boras, have set a price that MLB teams have yet to consider for his services.

Subscribe to the Pinwheels and Ivy Show, a White Sox vs. Cubs podcast made for Chicago fans.

We’ve seen this happening more lately in free agency – big names waiting until the last minute to sign. But the optimism of the Cubs and Bellinger getting a deal done went back to during the 2023 season. We heard rumblings of them engaging in extension conversations, but nothing ever came of it.

Lately, the question being asked was when Bellinger and the Cubs would get a deal done, not so much if. But the latest comments from Ricketts paint a new picture, peeling back the curtain on the dynamic between the team and Bellinger’s camp.

Ricketts: There Are Discussions, Just No Negotiations

On the topic of Bellinger, Ricketts says that there is a dialogue between the two sides. However, there have not been negotiations. He insinuated that what Boras demands for his client is not serious, and things cannot move forward if they do not reconsider. He did not dismiss the Cubs still signing Bellinger at some point, of course. But he did make the point that the Cubs have what they need in-house to build on their 2023 season.

Ricketts also said he does not tell Hoyer what to do and lets him take care of business. And he did not mince words when asked if he had had a conversation with Boras himself.

Ricketts: “I Don’t Talk To Scott (Boras)”

Boras is known as one of baseball’s most stubborn agents, but he often gets his clients lucrative contracts. Ricketts and the Cubs also have a reputation for low-balling players on contract offers. The sides being as far off as they are should surprise no one. Eventually, reasoning would lead me to believe they’ll figure out how to meet in the middle.

Nonetheless, a message has been sent from the Cubs to Boras and Bellinger. The Cubs are ready if they’d like to come to the table and have serious negotiations beneficial for both sides. But if they decide not to, the Cubs feel they have what they need in-house to be competitive in 2024 without Bellinger being a part of it.