MLB Rumors: Bichette-Blue Jays cold water, Mets eying an ace, Yankees-Bellinger gap

If someone could please locate the "on" switch for the MLB offseason, that would be much appreciated. It's now the second week of January, and we're still waiting for any movement on stars like Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman and Framber Valdez. And the trade market, while loaded with big names, isn't much better at the moment.

The latest batch of Hot Stove rumors doesn't have too much optimism on offer in that regard; it appears as though players and teams are engaged in one big waiting game, trying to see who will blink first. But we do have some notes on Bichette, Cody Bellinger and others that can at least shed light on what their demands are like — and what teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays are prioritizing right now.

Bo Bichette reunion with Blue Jays looking less and less likely

When the Toronto Blue Jays came out of nowhere to land Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto, there was one natural follow-up question: What would that mean for Bo Bichette? Toronto wasn't handing Okamoto $60 million over four years to ride the bench, and the Jays already had a pretty full infield with guys like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement.

It seems like the Okamoto deal may in fact signal that Toronto is prepared to say goodbye to its long-time shortstop, at least according to the latest from Ken Rosenthal, who claims that a reunion is "increasingly unlikely".

Bichette no doubt wants top dollar, and after shelling out major money for not only Okamoto but also Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers, the Jays likely don't have a ton extra to spend this offseason. They likely have one just more splash remaining, and with Kyle Tucker still lingering on the market, that would seem to be a cleaner fit for this roster.

Bichette is beloved in Toronto, and he's a tremendous hitter, but he's a poor defender who already needs to move off of short and might be iffy even at second or third base. Someone's going to pay up for the bat (maybe the Detroit Tigers or Boston Red Sox?), it just might not be the Blue Jays.

'Inevitable' that Mets sign top starter like Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez

It's been a frustrating offseason for Mets fans so far, as their team has waved goodbye to long-time stars like Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz while flipping Brandon Nimmo for an almost equally uninspiring contract in Marcus Semien. The offense has taken a step back, and the starting rotation remains as muddled as it was when last season ended.

For as patient as David Stearns likes to be as an executive, a big swing has to be coming at some point ... right? ESPN's Buster Olney certainly thinks so, going so far as to call it "inevitable" that New York will come away with one of the top starters still available like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez.

On the one hand, the fit is obvious. The Mets need reliability and innings atop their rotation next year, a known quantity to supplement guys like Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and David Peterson — all players you can talk yourself into (especially McLean, my goodness), but none of whom can be written down in pen for 150-175 innings.

On the other, this sounds like the opposite of Stearns' M.O. He's been notoriously reluctant to make huge investments in starting pitchers so far in his Mets tenure (and even going to back to his time in Milwaukee). Neither of the options Olney mentions seem to fit what he's looking for; Valdez is already 32, while Suarez has injury and workload concerns. There's a first time for everything, and New York certainly can fit a nine-figure deal on the books. Stearns is obsessed with value, though, and given the sheer volume of options he already has in house, I'm not as confident as Olney that they're looking to hand out this kind of contract.

'Sizable gap' remains between Cody Bellinger, Yankees

It would appear that the stalemate that has frozen Bellinger's market isn't changing any time soon: The YES Network's Jack Curry reported on Monday night that there's "clearly a gap" in talks between the Yankees and Bellinger, which Olney echoed himself on Tuesday morning. Scott Boras made clear early this offseason that he wants his client to get paid like the former MVP he very technically is; Brian Cashman, meanwhile, isn't so sure, and it doesn't seem like there's a lot of competition to force him off of that skepticism as of yet.

Which is understandable enough. It would seem like the Yankees hold most of the leverage here: Bellinger's uneven track record at the plate (and an injury history that's longer than you'd think) make him a tricky evaluation, as does the fact that his underlying metrics don't back up his production last season. He doesn't hit the ball particularly hard, and while his pull-heavy, in-the-air approach is perfect for Yankee Stadium, well, most other teams don't play 81 home games with a short porch.

All of which leaves us in a holding pattern. If New York doesn't want to go big for Tucker, bringing Bellinger back is more or less a must; there just aren't a ton of other viable options out there right now, and the Yankees need more offense. But it's tough to find a team that should be confident enough in Bellinger to pay him the $150 million-plus he's probably looking for, leaving everyone in a staring contest.