Astros Rumors: Have We Lost Our Minds? Keep Bellinger Away From Houston

The Astros should stay far away from Cody Bellinger

How is this even being discussed? Has this franchise lost its collective mind? They shouldn't even touch him with a 10-foot pole.

Cody Bellinger is a free agent. Yes, the same Cody Bellinger that went on a tirade and trashed the Astros forwards, backwards, up and down after the events of 2017 were revealed. And somehow Houston has been linked to him?

Ironically enough, those cheatin' Astros have just kept on winning and kept on hitting since the MLB cracked down on sign stealing. What about good ole' Cody?

The first four years of Bellinger's career screamed future Hall-of-Famer. He won a Rookie of the Year and an MVP. He hit for power, carried a relatively high average, got on base all the time and played elite level defense. He slashed .273/.364/.547, good for a .911 OPS. The 1B/OF slugged 123 home runs and drove in 318, all while swiping 45 bags.

Since the sign-stealing crackdown? He's hitting .193 with a .611 OPS. He just had a career-high 27.3% strikeout rate and a career low 6.9% walk rate. Clearly if he doesn't know what pitch is coming, he can't hit it.

Beyond just Bellinger's ineptitude, let's think about Houston. What has made the Astros so succesful during their reign of terror? It's their clubhouse. Their chemistry is unrivaled. "H-Town vs. Everyone" is a real thing. The franchise has bonded together, mentored their own, and won repeatedly as a result. In what world would it be a wise decision to bring in a locker-room cancer like Bellinger? How do you expect guys still in the locker room like Altuve, Bregman, LMJ, Maldy and Pressly among others to just forget about what Bellinger said going into 2020?

When they say "H-Town vs. Everyone," Cody Bellinger is the personification of everyone. On top of that, he simply isn't a good baseball player anymore. It would be one thing to risk disruption if they were bringing in a player the caliber of say Aaron Judge. But the chemistry cannot be impacted by a replacement-level player. A one-year flier simply isn't worth it.

The fact of the matter is Cody Bellinger isn't good. Not as a hitter and not as a fit for the Astros. The fact is Houston shouldn't sign him. And didn't our old friend Carlos Correa have something to say about not knowing the facts...?