As the offseason progressed, Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, pivoted from seeking a long-term deal to something shorter with more flexibility.

Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million deal to return to the Chicago Cubs earlier this month. He can opt out of the pact after the 2025 season.

"There are variables," Boras said of Bellinger's free agency. "We have some irregularity going on in this current market. We have close to 11 teams that are spending less money than they did a year go ... in light of the fact we have record revenues in baseball."