4 moves the Blue Jays should make with Shohei Ohtani’s money

2. Blue Jays can land Cody Bellinger on $220 million contract

Cody Bellinger is the best position player left on the market. After two extremely rough seasons in L.A., the former Dodger relocated to the Chicago Cubs on a modest one-year contract. It was a miraculous bounce-back campaign from the 2019 MVP. Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs in 499 ABs. He came on especially strong after the All-Star break, leading Chicago to the postseason doorstep before the team collapsed in the final weeks.

There are red flags with Bellinger. His poor hard-hit rate (31.4 percent — 10th percentile) has been widely cited and his more moderate .268 expected batting average (74th percentile) suggests some luck was involved in his resurgent 2023 numbers. Bellinger also spent two seasons batting at or below .210 prior to his arrival in Chicago. There's concern that Bellinger will regress, and that last season was a flash in the pan.

Of course, the simple rebuttal is that Bellinger was once the crème de la crème in L.A., regularly bashing 20+ home runs and slugging over .500 early in his career. At 28 years old, there shouldn't be terrible durability concerns. There is still gas in the tank, and the sheer volume of Bellinger's 2023 productivity — no matter the "indicators" — is hard to deny.

This would qualify as a risk for Toronto, but there is no contention without a bit of risk in the MLB. Bellinger is a competent everyday glove in the outfield or at first base, which offers Toronto flexibility depending on how Guerrero's future unfolds. He would add the productive lefty bat the front office desires at what could end up being a modest price point if last season's output ends up being a launching point, rather than an aberration.