The Toronto Blue Jays missed out on their top free agent target of the offseason when outfielder Kyle Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract with the back-to-back defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Blue Jays were rumored to be the favorites to land Tucker for most of the offseason and reports came out that he even toured the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., in December.

Alas, he ended up going to the team that defeated Toronto in this past year's World Series, adding to an already all-time lineup that includes former and defending MVPs such as Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.

There's been speculation and push among fans and analysts of the Blue Jays potentially pivoting and going after free agent outfielder (and a former MVP in his own right) Cody Bellinger.

Toronto Blue Jays Have Every Reason to Pivot to Cody Bellinger in Free AgencyThe slugging outfielder would help now and in the future.

In a recent episode of the "Foul Territory" podcast, MLB insider Jim Bowden was asked about why the Blue Jays haven't pursued Bellinger with the same push as Tucker.

"I think it's the risk with how he's gonna age with the swing," Bowden said on the podcast. "I think it's the risk of, we saw him fail in Chicago and a year ago the Cubs had to eat part of the contract in order to trade him to the Yankees. The Dodgers, he struggled there a couple years. They moved on from him. I think that Mark Shapiro, the president of the Blue Jays, Ross Atkins the GM — looking at his history and saying 'What is the risk if we were to sign him long-term? What's the risk?' I think, quite frankly, the Blue Jays views Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger the same way I do. I would have been fine giving Kyle Tucker (a 10-year, $350 million contract) like the Blue Jays offered. I kind of feel like Bellinger is not that kind of player for me. I think there's too much risk. Now, I love him. Defensively, he can play all three outfield seasons above-average, he can play first base above-average. I love the power, I loved his MVP season with the Dodgers, I loved his season last year with the Yankees, I loved one of his seasons with the Cubs. But where was the rest? And I know we're blaming injuries and we're blaming the (COVID-19) pandemic, but other players didn't have that problem of lack of consistency."

Why aren't the Blue Jays in on Cody Bellinger in the same way they were for Kyle Tucker?

"I think it's the risk with how he's gonna age with the swing," says @JimBowdenGM. pic.twitter.com/t5RWcNJYJC

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 19, 2026

Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with an .814 OPS in `152 games with New York this past season. He hit 25 doubles, five triples and 29 home runs with 98 RBIs.

Bellinger hasn't hit less than 18 home runs in four consecutive seasons and has registered at least 44 extra-base hits every year in that stretch.

WHAT A CATCH BY CODY BELLINGER!

He goes a LONG way to get the Yankees out of the inning
pic.twitter.com/8OlWSBA1xJ

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 8, 2025

Bellinger would likely add some power to Toronto's lineup and, possibly just as importantly, it would deprive their American League East rivals, the Yankees, of a top-performer on the lineup.

Bellinger would also provide some high-end depth to a Blue Jays outfield core that was hit with injuries this past season. Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander and George Springer were all banged up at various points in 2025. Springer dealt with a knee contusion and a sore oblique during the postseason.

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