I get it... yeah there was a lot of hullabaloo

All of that over a guy who projects as a likely 3-3.5 WAR player (or a "solid starter" if you will, I know you're a WAR skeptic). Based on some statgeeky batted ball metrics from last year and past performance as you point out, it's reasonable to expect that he'll regress from last year. But he adds some legitimacy to the lineup, and given that he's morphed into a solid contact guy he can help stabilize it. Hopefully his presence in the lineup can lift Suzuki and others a bit. Plus with Bellinger the Cubs can be more patient with some young guys who probably need more time (i.e. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was rushed and overmatched in his call-up last year).

He's no Babe Ruth but there just hasn't been much to talk about this off-season after the Dodgers signings. And Bellinger's status has been a point of uncertainty with the team going into next season. So now that's resolved so we can look ahead. The Cubs are in a division where going from 82 to 85 wins can make all the difference so maybe Bellinger can give that nudge.