Blue Jays Remain Chicago Cubs’ Biggest Cody Bellinger Threat, Despite Decreasing Interest Amidst $300 Million Sweepstakes

The Chicago Cubs seem hell-bent on trying to clinch Cody Bellinger this offseason. But it would be foolish for one to think that the next team vying to secure Cody Love for their dugout, the Toronto Blue Jays, will back out at the first hint of competition. Au contraire, the Blue Jays are the “big threat” that the Cubs are facing.

With the free agency market slowly thinning out of major prospects, the Cubs are running low on prospects. The Blue Jays are reportedly in the process of finalizing a year-long deal with another centerfielder, but it’s not a deterrent. Especially because Toronto does not have as many prospects they can pick from their farm system as the Cubs do.

The Blue Jays are still a massive threat to the Cubs’ hope of clinching Cody Bellinger

According to a Cubbies Crib report, Cody Bellinger is the only remaining dynamic batter available on the market. In the wake of the exit of star sluggers like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, going after Bellinger makes complete sense for any team remaining on the lookout for a power hitter.

Cody Bellinger’s bag of scores with 26 homers and hitting .307/.356/.525 under the team’s banner heavily impacted the Cubs’ ability to stay in the wild card competition and clinch 83 wins this season. Is it any wonder Toronto is going after him as well?

Time and time again, the Cubs have learned during their free agency exploration this year – Cody Bellinger needs to be the primary target if they want to see an impactful upgrade in their hitting rotation for the next season, despite his $300 million tagline.

Watch This Story: Unveiling The Top 5 MLB Icons, Creating Buzz In The Free-Agent Market This Off-Season

This naturally makes the Blue Jays their biggest threat, considering the latter ones don’t even have any semblance of options to look elsewhere for batting power, as the Cubs do.

Cubs vs. Blue Jays: what they have and what they don’t

The Cubs have a healthy in-house farm system buzzing with sluggers like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Mike Tauchman. Although the sluggers are next to nothing compared to Cody Bellinger’s capabilities, having a little is better than having none, isn’t it?

The Blue Jays, on the other hand, have a farm system full of shortstops and lefty pitchers, with little to no option left for a hitter. The recent re-signing of CF Kevin Kiermaier does not mean that the team has fulfilled their hitting rotation requirements in one go. Major insiders have noted that the signing serves more as a lack of confidence than as proof of the Jays’ efforts to secure a CF/1B.

Read More: Is Cody Bellinger Worth $300 Million, After a 2023 Cubs Comeback Season Revived His Career?

The Cubs have to rethink their age-old tradition of not going after veterans like Cody Bellinger with a long-term deal if they want this win over the Blue Birds.