It’s a crazy thought, ludicrous even. Dodgers rookie phenom Cody Bellinger is but 22 years old, has only 101 major league games under his belt, and will be under team control until 2023, with three of those being arbitration years. He is money in the bank for the Dodger, plain and simple. But with the historic numbers that the Scottsdale, Arizona native and Dodgers 2013 fourth-round draft pick is putting up, might the Dodgers consider offering Bellinger a long-term multi-year contract extension now?

Like I said, crazy.

But consider this. At no time will Cody Bellinger come any cheaper than right now … right this second. Not ever.

Although signing Bellinger to a long-term contract extension after only one season is unquestionably a tremendous risk, it could also prove be the deal of the century for the Dodgers.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

The kicker is, several teams have set the precedent for such a seemingly ridiculous move. The Tampa Bay Rays did it with Evan Longoria, the Angels did it with Mike Trout, and the Miami Marlins did it with Giancarlo Stanton – to name only a few.

Is it a risky move? You bet it is. The aforementioned Giancarlo Stanton contract extension, signed in 2014, is – hands down – the worst contract extension in baseball history and one that will strangle the beleaguered franchise for the next decade. Oh sure, the Southern California native is a beast and known for hitting some of the longest home runs the game has ever seen, but he has fallen well short of expectations – at least until the past few weeks, that is. Even though the Panorama City, California native hit his MLB-best 50th home run on Sunday, it would take nothing short of a miracle for him to surpass Barry Bonds’ all-time single-season home run record of 72. He is, however, on pace to catch or even surpass Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs and Roger Maris’ 61. That’s the upside. The downside is that should Stanton fall back into mediocrity, his 13-year / $325 million contract is probably untradeable for a career .267 hitter.

On the other side of that coin is Mike Trout, who is arguably the best player the game has seen in decades … or longer. The extremely polite and enormously popular 26-year-old Vineland, New Jersey native signed a six-year / $144.5 million contract extension with the Angels on March 28, 2014 and never has there been money better spent. In his seven major league seasons, Trout was the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year, has been named to six All-Star Games, is a two-time AL MVP and the AL MVP runner-up three times. And is spite of missing two months this season with a broken thumb, he may very well win his third AL MVP title. Like I said, never has there been money better spent.

From a pure business standpoint, offering a long-term contract extension to a player who will remain under team control for the next five years is not a sound move. In fact, history has shown time and again that it is actually a very foolish move. In addition to the player falling short of expectations, there is always the risk of injury, such as the case with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who the Dodgers signed to a long-term seven-year / $215 million contract extension in January of 2014. Even though the 29-year-old Dallas, Texas native is a three-time Cy Young award winner, the 2014 NL MVP and is often referred to as ‘the best pitcher on the planet’, and still has an MLB-best 15 wins this season (tied with Milwaukee’s Zach Davies and Arizona’s Zack Greinke), he has been on the disabled list with right lower back tightness since July 24.

But there is a wrinkle in Kershaw’s near quarter billion dollar contract extension; he can opt out of it after the 2018 season, as did former Dodger Zack Greinke following the 2015 season. And while it seems unfathomable that the Dodgers would ever let Kershaw go, the phrase often used by former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti comes to mind: “Pitchers break.”

Getting back to Bellinger, there is zero doubt that this kid is destined for greatness, perhaps even a plaque in the sacred halls of Cooperstown one day. But here again, would it be wise for the Dodgers to even consider offering the likely 2017 NL Rookie of the Year a contract extension even before he becomes arbitration eligible? The head says ‘no’ but the heart – and the wallet – says ‘maybe.’

After all, at no time will Bellinger come any cheaper than right now … right this second.

Not ever.