Insider Suggets Blue Jays Could Still Be Interested in Cody Bellinger

The Toronto Blue Jays lost out on both Kyle Tucker AND Bo Bichette in the free agent sweepstakes. Does that mean they're finished adding for 2026, for now? They are full up on the infield, but it seems that they felt they had room for a star outfielder like Tucker...

Insider Ken Rosenthal said on the Foul Territory podcast that, contrary to popular opinion, he feels Toronto still could be interested in one more big bat, and that could possibly be Cody Bellinger, who is still holding out from signing anywhere.

The Blue Jays were the other big bidder for Kyle Tucker at 10 years, $350 million... So why wouldn't they, with two outfielders coming off the books after this season, Varsho and Springer, be involved with Bellinger as well?... I would say, 'Why not? Why wouldn't they be?' I just don't understand why they wouldn't be.

Daulton Varsho and George Springer, indeed, are both heading into the final year of their respective contracts. And while Addison Barger seems more than capable of taking over right field full time from Springer into the future, Varsho departing after '26 would leave a big vacancy in center field. Bellinger is capable of filling that.

Of course, the reason that the Jays wouldn't be interested in Bellinger at this point, is that they simply aren't interested in such a long-term deal with a player who has proven to have many ups and downs over the course of this decade: in fact, more downs (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024) than ups (2023, 2025).

Meanwhile, the Yankees are standing firm at their five-year offer to Belli, at $160M. It's understandable they won't go with more term, as they'd be bidding against themselves to give in to agent Scott Boras's demands of a seven-year deal. The only other team with seemingly any interest is the Mets, and that would be on a short-term, higher-AAV deal, as they are fond of doing.

But Rosenthal questions why, then, is Bellinger not taking the Yankees' deal?

"Apparently, they believe there might be something else out there, and who knows what that might be," said Rosenthal.