Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly Seen as Favorite For Former MVP
After missing out on free agent star Shohei Ohtani, the Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly seen as the favorite to sign outfielder Cody Bellinger.
The report comes from Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as the favorite for Cody Bellinger with the Cubs still in the hunt.
This would represent a good move for Toronto, who has seen multiple pieces of its offense depart in free agency at this point. Whit Merrifield, Matt Chapman, Kevin Kiermaier and Brandon Belt are all gone from last year's team right now, and Bellinger would help fill the holes left in their wake.
The 28-year-old is reportedly seeking a deal worth more than $200 million on the open market and if Toronto really offered Ohtani $700 million, they clearly have it. It was an incredible bounceback year for Bellinger in 2023, as he hit .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI for the Cubs - in just 130 games.
Bellinger won the National League MVP in 2019, hitting 47 home runs for the Dodgers, but then he scuffled massively through injury and poor performance in 2020-2022. That led to him being non-tendered by LA and signing the one-year deal with the Cubs.
If Bellinger were to sign in Toronto, he'd pair with stars Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to make a very formidable 1-2-3 in the lineup. Toronto made the playoffs last season but was swept in the wild card round by the Minnesota Twins.
They were also swept in the same round of the 2022 playoffs by the Seattle Mariners.
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