We sit today 58 days from the Cubs’ first Spring Training game. (Eight weeks from this Friday, if you’re counting.)

And the curious dance between Cody Bellinger and the Cubs continues.

It seems clear that, given signings by other teams and the Cubs’ needs, Bellinger and the Cubs make the perfect fit. He’s already had one good year on the North Side, seemed to enjoy his time with the Cubs, and fans liked having him on the team.

Whether it’s Jed Hoyer or Scott Boras holding up the works, we do not know. It’s said by some that Bellinger’s looking for a deal that would pay him $300 million, and I doubt there’s any team still out there that might be interested in his services that would pay him that much in total dollars.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Bellinger at 12 years, $264 million. That’s an AAV of $22 million, which seems kind of low. Last month on this site, I suggested a deal like that might actually work for both team and player, but so far, it hasn’t.

Why not give him a deal with a larger AAV, shorter term, with opt outs?

To wit: Eight years, $220 million — with an opt-out after two years. That would give Bellinger an AAV of $27.5 million for 2024 and 2025, and if he has two monster years he could go back to free agency at age 30 (he turned 28 last July) and potentially make more money over the long term. Or, if the years aren’t so great — and of course, we’d hope they were at least good — he’d have six more years of financial security.

The Cubs and Bellinger seem a perfect fit. Who says no to a deal like this?