MESA, Ariz. — As spring training progressed without any resolution to Cody Bellinger’s free agency, the Cubs added left-handed depth at first base and in the outfield.
With the Cubs and Bellinger agreeing to terms on a three-year, $80 million contract Sunday, the landscape of those position battles has changed.
Manager Craig Counsell wouldn’t comment directly about Bellinger’s deal because it isn’t official yet, but he addressed the topic in general terms.
‘‘Everyday players, multiposition players, they do a lot for your position group,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘Those are very valuable players, so obviously that changes a lot of what you think about your position group.’’
The outfield is particularly crowded. As long as they’re healthy, left fielder Ian Happ, right fielder Seiya Suzuki and Bellinger will be locks for the Opening Day roster. That leaves Mike Tauchman, prospects Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alexander Canario and non-roster invitee David Peralta up for the remaining outfield spots.
Canario, the lone right-handed batter in that group, will move all around the outfield this spring.
‘‘The outfield could get a little tighter here,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘But, obviously, his value as a right-handed hitter against left-handed pitching, we’ll figure out where that fits in the lineup and what position.’’
During the Cubs Convention in January, Crow-Armstrong said he hoped Bellinger would re-sign because he could help the team win. Crow-Armstrong has known Bellinger through mutual friends since before he joined the Cubs last season.
‘‘It was the first thing I heard when I woke up this morning, so it was a nice little alarm clock,’’ Crow-Armstrong said of the Bellinger news. ‘‘That’s what we’ve all been waiting for.’’
Bellinger’s addition could affect Crow-Armstrong’s playing time and development plan, but he’s saying the right things.
‘‘He doesn’t just say the right things; he believes the right things,’’ shortstop Dansby Swanson said of Crow-Armstrong.
Swanson cited a long phone conversation he had with Crow-Armstrong a few weeks ago, in which he was struck by the questions Crow-Armstrong was asking and his commitment to helping the team in any capacity.
‘‘This is how it works on a good team,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘You’ve got to fight your way into a lineup, and you’ve got to earn it. And there’s still plenty of opportunity there for Pete. There’s still plenty of room for him to improve. . . . Those players try to force their way in. And that’s where Pete sits right now, still with that opportunity.’’
Michael Busch and Patrick Wisdom have been taking reps at first base. That’s expected to continue, even when Bellinger joins the team.
Busch has yet to get into a spring game. He had some shoulder soreness early in camp, Counsell said, and the Cubs were being careful with him. But he is penciled into the lineup Monday.
Counsell wants Wisdom to keep getting more comfortable at first, knowing he has plenty of experience at third to fall back on.
The Cubs also signed first baseman Dom Smith to a deal as a non-roster invitee last week. He had surgery on his hand during the offseason.
The Cubs will have to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Bellinger.
