The Cubs are “waiting” for real contract negotiations with Cody Bellinger.

The Chicago Cubs are “waiting” on free agent Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, to begin contract talks, according to a statement made by team owner Tom Ricketts on Monday. According to Ricketts, there have been “discussions” between the parties, but formal negotiations have not yet taken place.

On position players’ report day, Ricketts declared, “I’m just like everyone else.” “All we do is wait. He is awaiting the moment when he and his representative will make contact. It might happen in a few weeks or it might happen at any moment. We’ll watch its progress.

After hitting.307 with 26 home runs in the previous season with Chicago, Bellinger was named comeback player of the year. Following a few unsuccessful seasons with the Dodgers due to the aftereffects of a shoulder injury, the former MVP finally found success.

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If Ricketts had discussed his client with Boras this winter, the question would have been posed to him.

According to Ricketts, “I don’t talk to Scott.” “Going to speak with the owner is one of his signature moves. You damage your general manager’s credibility when you act in that way. I do not believe that bringing yourself into the negotiation is helpful. I avoid talking to him.

Rejecting Ricketts’ evaluation, Boras pointed out that the Cubs had called him on Bellinger during the previous offseason.

Boras told ESPN that “free agency is about recruiting players.” “It is customary for an owner to get involved in player recruitment and reach out to me in order to communicate to the player about the team’s ownership that they are interested in.” That’s the essence of free agency, and expressing dedication and involvement is customary and practiced for ownership.

“The Cubs engaged and pursued Cody extremely aggressively last year when he was a free agent. And this year, their procedure is the same. Thus, I’m not sure what Tom is advocating.”

The Cubs have signed very few multiyear contracts with Boras’s clients. As a matter of fact, the team hasn’t signed or renewed a deal with a Boras client for longer than a year in at least ten years.

Regarding Bellinger, Ricketts stated, “There have been some discussions but it hasn’t become a negotiation yet.” “We are limited in what we can do until they are prepared to negotiate. We simply need to wait till things become more serious before discussing the final financial figures.”

Put another way, the waiting game continues because the Cubs are unwilling to make an offer within Boras’ boundaries, which are reportedly far over $200 million, according to sources earlier in the offseason. That poses no issues for the team.

“We won’t just decide to go all in,” Ricketts remarked in reference to a significant financial commitment made by a player. Our goal is to maintain consistency. The intention is to be among the teams that consistently strive for victory and are given the chance to do so each year.”

This winter, the Cubs made only a few mid-level trades for rookie corner infielder Michael Busch, getting starter Shota Imanaga and reliever Hector Neris in the process. There’s still a large hole in the batter’s box on the left side. Bellinger would be useful.

Ricketts remarked, “I think Jed had a really outstanding offseason.” “We’ve included a few components that will improve the whole thing. I don’t see any reason why this year we shouldn’t be the favorites in our division.”

Ricketts cited the Arizona Diamondbacks, the National League’s representative in the World Series the previous season, as evidence that large payrolls and ambitious preseason projections are meaningless. He knows, in fact, that in the last four complete seasons, the team with the lowest seed in the NL has advanced to the Fall Classic.

Ricketts said, “That’s the beauty of baseball.” “Having the biggest names or the largest salary is not a need. Anyone can defeat anyone if they play well. For the Diamondbacks, I was pleased.”

The Cubs now have a payroll of about $200 million, so Ricketts joked when asked what it would take to raise payroll. “More income.”

The veteran owner is more concerned with what the team can accomplish with its current squad than with what it lacks.

“We’re exactly at the levels of the competitive balance tax,” he declared. It feels like a natural place for us. That ought to be sufficient to win our division and maintain consistency each year.”