He’s no Ohtani, but Bellinger would be a solid fit if the price is right.
The Toronto Blue Jays, still stinging from their loss in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, could focus their efforts on another player who would fill an obvious need. The team has been linked to free agent Cody Bellinger after Bellinger’s fiancée, Chase Carter, tweeted an image of the iconic Toronto skyline to her Instagram story on Sunday.
As exciting as this potential union is, Jays fans should know not to get overexcited. On Friday afternoon, it looked like the team was closing in on the biggest acquisition in sports history. The following day, the news broke that Ohtani was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and an entire nation groaned.
Bellinger is an ideal match and is a player linked to the Blue Jays for years. He’s hitting the open market as a 28-year-old and coming off a resurgent 2023 season that boosted his value. The 2019 NL MVP slashed .307/.356/.881, with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, and 95 runs scored. Bellinger achieved a 4.4 bWAR (second-highest of his career), won his second Silver Slugger Award, and finished top-10 in MVP voting for the third time.
Toronto has a dire need in the outfield, and Bellinger has been an above-average defender throughout his career, primarily as a center fielder. He also started 44 games at first base last season, the position he played most often from 2017-2018. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year would be an athletic option wherever he’s asked to play and would surely be part of the DH shuffle, along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, and Danny Jansen.
The conundrum of whether to play Bellinger in center or right field is a ‘problem’ manager John Schneider would love to have. Daulton Varsho is poised to receive the brunt of the work in center field, but Bellinger is an elite-level defender.
He’d also fit right in with the Blue Jays’ lineup, presumably hitting second or third while offering protection and left-handed power. Bellinger has come a long way in resembling the player we saw four years ago. He’s hardly Shohei Ohtani, but he’s the type of guy who can get Jays fans excited if he puts pen to paper.
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