The Blue Jays are expected to be a player for star outfielder Cody Bellinger now that they’ve lost out for Shohei Ohtani (and missed their opportunity for Juan Soto).
They seek a left-handed hitter, and options are limited.
The Cubs remain a threat to keep Bellinger, who’s said to have liked his first year on the North Side very much.
Cody Bellinger watches his home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees. APBellinger seeks $200M plus.
We all started to think that maybe the Dodgers weren’t the Ohtani favorite for a day or two when all the hints of a Toronto link started popping up.
But the biggest “tell,” according to a rival, that he didn’t intend to sign with the Jays was when he traveled to see their spring facility in Dunedin, Fla.
Did Shohei Ohtani use the Blue Jays in pursuit of his Dodgers deal? APAs the exec mentioned, no one picks a team based on sparkling spring facilities.
The Jays do wonder if they were “used,” and they should. That’s allowed, of course.
The heavily deferred $700M Ohtani deal is valued at $437.8M by the union, which is $43.8M a year, or slightly more per year than the record $43.3M of Max Scherzer (tied by Justin Verlander).
The Giants have said they agreed to do that very deal, and it’s believed the Jays offered a comparable deal, as well.
The Cubs and Angels offers aren’t known.
