The Cubs entered 2023 with arguably as much financial leverage as any team. Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins spent Tom Ricketts’ money cautiously — most notably signing free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson while extending Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner — but that doesn’t diminish some notable good work.

They provided a soft landing for 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger, whose issues making contact had limited him to a combined .611 OPS in 2021 and ’22, leading to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to non-tender him in November. Hoyer and Hawkins quietly negotiated a pillow contract for Bellinger, and that deal is on the verge of being turned into long-term gold for the rebuilding Cubs.

Bellinger, who was never signed for more than one year with the Dodgers, was guaranteed $22.5 million in a creative deal that now seems set to send him back to the free agent market in the fall. He’ll be in a far better position than he was last year, however, after re-establishing his power-speed game at Wrigley Field.

The contract comes with a $17.5 million salary for 2023 and a mutual option for ’24. The Cubs put themselves on the hook for a $5 million buyout if they did not want to pay Bellinger $25 million in ’24. He appears in wide demand as the August 1 trade deadline approaches, with Houston, Cleveland, the Yankees, San Francisco and San Diego rumored among the contenders with interest.

Despite missing a month with a knee injury suffered banging into the Minute Maid Park wall while robbing Kyle Tucker of extra bases, Bellinger has put together a slash line of .301/.358/.524 over 229 at-bats. He has 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases and, most notably, has cut his K-rate from 27.3 to 17.5.

Bellinger deserves credit for getting to work in the off-season after the Dodgers cut him loose. Hoyer and Hawkins were smart to pair him with former Dodgers hitting instructors Dustin Kelly and Johnny Washington to help rebuild his basics and confidence. They worked to close holes in his swing, especially high fastballs.

Bellinger has been streaky with the Cubs, at one point going more than 100 at-bats without a home run. But he’s been on fire in July, hitting .444 with a 1.302 OPS. He has hit five homers in 45 at-bats, including a two-homer game on Friday and a grand slam on Saturday.

The timing couldn’t be better for the Cubs, who figure to have two of the biggest chips on the trade market if they make the logical decision to become sellers. Hoyer has been noncommittal in interviews but at 43-49 his team is eight games out in both the National League Central and the wild card race.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that the Astros are interested in both Bellinger and Marcus Stroman. That would be a major package that should yield a huge return in prospects who can help in 2024 and beyond.

Holding onto the 28-year-old Bellinger would make sense only if the Cubs negotiated a contract extension with agent Scott Boras before the trade deadline, and that seems highly unlikely. The better hope for Chicago fans is that their front office will be as smart in marketing Bellinger as it was in moving quickly to sign him.