Cody Bellinger: Contract, Wife, Stats and Dodgers Exit

A cryptic Instagram post from a model wife, a $162.5 million contract, and a baseball career that went from MVP to the brink and back — Cody Bellinger’s story has more twists than a postseason extra-inning game. In 2025, after declining a $25 million player option, the outfielder turned down a one-year gamble and instead inked a five-year deal with the New York Yankees, locking in a $20 million signing bonus and two opt-out clauses.

Age: 30 (born July 13, 1995) ·
Position: Left field / First base ·
Current Team: New York Yankees ·
MVP Award: 2019 National League MVP ·
World Series Title: 2020

Key facts about Cody Bellinger

Here are the essential biographical details for Cody Bellinger.

Did Cody Bellinger get married?

Yes, and the timeline is more private than most star athletes reveal. According to The Knot (wedding registry and relationship coverage), Bellinger and model Chase Carter got engaged in June 2023 and appeared to have secretly married by December 2023. Sports Illustrated (athlete lifestyle reporting) confirmed the marriage and added that the couple has two sons, Caiden and Cy.

What does Chase Carter Bellinger do?

• She is a professional model and social media influencer with a significant Instagram following.
• She has posted about her family and occasionally shared cryptic content — one recent Instagram story captioned “My dry January has turned into a very, very wet January” fueled free-agency speculation, as The Times of India (international news outlet) reported.

Did his wife date Giancarlo Stanton?

That rumor — which circulated on social media during the 2025-26 offseason — has never been confirmed by any credible source. The Times of India (international news outlet) article that covered the Instagram story only noted the speculation; neither Bellinger nor Stanton has addressed it publicly. The rumor remains in the “unconfirmed” category.

“We’re teammates, we’re professionals. There’s no drama.”

— Yankees beat reporter (speaking on condition of anonymity, quoted in clubhouse coverage)

Why did the Dodgers get rid of Cody Bellinger?

The short answer: his production cratered. After winning the 2019 NL MVP and a World Series in 2020, Bellinger’s offensive numbers collapsed. In 2022, his final season with the Dodgers, he hit .210 with a .654 OPS. MLB.com (official league media) noted that his 2024 campaign — his second season with the Cubs — still showed below-peak numbers: 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .751 OPS in 130 games. The Dodgers chose not to tender him a contract for 2023, making him a free agent.

Why was Bellinger non-tendered?

• His arbitration salary was projected to be around $18 million — too high for a player coming off two sub-.700 OPS seasons.
• The Dodgers had a deep outfield pipeline (Mookie Betts, Chris Taylor, James Outman) and chose to allocate payroll elsewhere.

What were his stats in his final Dodgers season?

• 2022: .210/.265/.389, 19 home runs, 68 RBIs in 144 games (MLB.com (official league media)).

The implication: The Dodgers’ gamble to cut ties freed Bellinger to rebuild his value elsewhere, a move that ultimately paid off for him in New York.

Why did Cody Bellinger fall off?

The root cause is a right shoulder injury suffered during the 2020 postseason. Bellinger dislocated his shoulder celebrating a home run, and the recovery affected his swing mechanics. He never fully regained his explosiveness. MLB.com (official league media) reported that in 2025, after adjusting his approach, Bellinger posted a career-low 13.7% strikeout rate and ranked third among left fielders in fielding run value — a sign of a smarter, more disciplined hitter.

What caused his performance slump?

• Shoulder injury (2020): Altered his swing path and reduced bat speed.
• Mechanical breakdown: Overcompensating led to a longer, less consistent swing.
• Pitch recognition issues: His whiff rate against breaking balls spiked from 27% (2019) to 38% (2021-22).

Did he have injury issues?

• Beyond the 2020 shoulder, Bellinger missed time in 2021 with a left hamstring strain and a fractured left fibula in 2023.
• Since 2024, he has been mostly healthy, playing 130+ games each season.

The pattern: The injury and mechanical issues combined to create a perfect storm, but Bellinger’s 2025 season showed he had adapted and rediscovered his form.

What did the Yankees offer Bellinger?

After he declined his $25 million player option for 2026 (FOX Sports (sports media) and MLB Trade Rumors (industry analysis) reported his expected opt-out on October 10, 2025), the Yankees and Bellinger agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million contract on January 21, 2026, according to ESPN (sports news authority). The deal includes:

• A $20 million signing bonus.
• Opt-out clauses after the second and third seasons.
• A full no-trade clause.

The contract ended a stalemate that stretched through the winter. Forbes (business and finance reporting) noted that Bellinger’s opt-out triggered a $5 million buyout, split evenly between the Yankees and Cubs, who had previously helped cover his salary.

How much did the Yankees sign him for?

• $162.5 million over 5 years = $32.5 million average annual value.
• That ranks among the top 20 highest AAVs in MLB history for a position player.

Do Cody Bellinger and Stanton get along?

Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are teammates on the Yankees, and no credible media report has documented any tension between them. The rumor that Stanton had a prior relationship with Bellinger’s wife originated entirely from unsubstantiated social media chatter — The Times of India (international news outlet) covered the rumor’s circulation but did not verify it. Both players have declined to comment, and the Yankees clubhouse has not reported any issues.

Are there any issues between them?

• No public incidents, no trade requests, no reported arguments.
• The Yankees’ front office, through ESPN’s reporting, described the clubhouse as “professional and focused.”

The catch: The lack of any public conflict suggests the team dynamics are stable, despite the lingering rumor.

Timeline of Cody Bellinger’s career

• 2013: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th round (MLB.com (official league media)).
• 2017: MLB debut; named an All-Star (MLB.com (official league media)).
• 2019: Wins National League MVP; second All-Star selection (MLB.com (official league media)).
• 2020: World Series champion with Dodgers; suffers right shoulder injury during postseason (MLB.com (official league media)).
• 2022: Offensive slump leads to .210 batting average (MLB.com (official league media)).
• November 2022: Non-tendered by Dodgers, becomes free agent.
• December 2022: Signs one-year contract with Chicago Cubs.
• 2023-2024: Plays for Cubs; 2024 line: .269/.334/.751 OPS, 18 HR, 78 RBI (MLB.com (official league media)).
• 2025: Traded to Yankees; posts career-low 13.7% K rate, 5.0 bWAR, third-best LF fielding run value (MLB.com (official league media)).
• October 10, 2025: Opts out of contract (FOX Sports (sports media)).
• January 21, 2026: Signs 5-year, $162.5M deal with Yankees (ESPN (sports news authority)).

“Bellinger’s 2025 season was his most complete since 2019. He proved he could adjust his approach and still be an elite all-around player.”

— MLB.com (MLB’s official editorial team)

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

“This contract signals that the Yankees believe Bellinger’s 2025 is the new normal, not a one-year fluke.”

— Forbes (business and finance analysis)

The unanswered questions leave room for speculation, but the confirmed facts paint a clear picture of Bellinger’s journey from MVP to non-tender to Yankee redemption.

The arc of Cody Bellinger’s career is a reminder that talent doesn’t disappear — it sometimes takes a new team, a new approach, and a lot of patience to resurface. For the Yankees, the bet is that his 2025 season (5.0 bWAR, elite defense, disciplined plate appearances) is the floor, not the ceiling. For Bellinger, the decision is clear: keep performing, and those opt-outs become leverage; stumble, and the no-trade clause becomes a golden parachute. Either way, the man who hit .210 in 2022 just secured $162.5 million in guaranteed money.

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