Houston Astros fans baffled by news that team is pursuing former NL MVP Cody Bellinger

The Houston Astros might be shopping for another heavy bat in the market just hours after signing former American League MVP Jose Abreu.

The reigning world champions aren't wasting any time. After signing Abreu, they could be on the verge of signing either former National League MVP Cody Bellinger or Chicago Cubs All-Star catcher Willson Contreras.

Cody Bellinger burst onto the scene and won the AL Rookie of the Year award during his first season and the NL MVP in his third. However, his form has fallen off a cliff ever since.

Bellinger had an atrocious 2021 season that saw him bat .165/.240/.302 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. It has to be noted that he was injured during a huge chunk of the year and only played in 95 games.

Bellinger recovered slightly this past season and posted a slash line of .210/.265/.389 with 19 homers and 68 RBIs, but considering his caliber, it was still a huge letdown for fans.

Upon hearing the news that Bellinger might sign with their team, Houston Astros fans took to Twitter to express their discontent.

Apart from Bellinger's form, the beef between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros fans is another potential factor in these rumors. It will be interesting to see if the Astros front office will push to get the former National League MVP.

Houston Astros sign Jose Abreu

After winning the World Series, many assumed that the Houston Astros would lose some pieces in the offseason. They were expected to offload talent, making them weaker, at least on paper.

However, that isn't the case as the Astros have reloaded and plugged holes in their roster. The team has signed former Chicago White Sox first baseman and three-time All-Star Jose Abreu to a three-year $58.5 million deal.

Abreu was the AL MVP during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. At 35 years old, he is no spring chicken. However, given his pedigree and the power he brings (he won't play first base every day), it perfectly suits this slugging-heavy Astros team.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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