It’s a buyer’s market for everyday outfielders, according to Jon Morosi, although, isn’t it always a buyer’s market? Next winter might actually be the rare instance when there isn’t a wealth of options, with players like Randy Arozarena and Daulton Varsho among the marquee free agent outfielders next offseason.

If you’re a contender loading up to improve your outfield in the short term, you probably want to do that heavy lifting now and avoid getting into a bidding war for mid-tier outfielders who are hoping to get paid like superstars next offseason.

One outfielder who has yet to really get his superstar payday is Cody Bellinger. Now a free agent for the third time in his career and coming off a solid season with the Yankees, Bellinger is positioning himself for a payday north of $100 million.

As one of the best bats on the market, the question is whether the Blue Jays might enter the ring with Scott Boras for a potential negotiation for Bellinger’s services to patrol the outfield in Toronto. Let’s examine the season Bellinger had and whether he’s an ideal fit for the Blue Jays in 2026 and beyond.

After a down year with the Cubbies in year two of his three-year deal in Chicago, the Cubs shopped the former NL MVP on the trade market, and several teams came calling. Ultimately, it was the New York Yankees who landed Bellinger, and in retrospect, they gave up very little in the form of pitching prospect Cody Poteet.

Bellinger bounced back in a big way in pinstripes, slashing .272/.334/.480 in 152 games with the Yankees, hitting 29 home runs and posting a 125 wRC+. He played predominantly in left field for the Yankees, but also had 40-plus games in both centre field and right field.

His hard-hit rate saw a 5% increase year over year, and Bellinger cut his whiff rate by 4.1%. In 2025, his plate discipline also improved compared to his career norms, but most notably, all of his defensive metrics saw a big uptick this past season. Whether it was any of the three outfield positions, Bellinger excelled in all facets of his defensive game.

However, there’s always been some trepidation by teams to fork out big money for a long-term deal. After the Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered him following the 2022 season, he signed a one-year deal with the Cubs, then another three-year pact with Chicago, even though the last year was a player option.

Any team would love to have a bat like Bellinger’s in their lineup and his defensive prowess on the diamond, but the million-dollar question is whether the Blue Jays could find room for him on the roster. At this moment, the Blue Jays already have six outfielders on their depth chart and only four spots to fill, three of which are everyday positions.

On paper, you’d think the Blue Jays’ Opening Day outfield would be Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger, so working another everyday bat into the fold doesn’t work unless there’s an injury (which of course, will happen at some point next year), or a trade has to transpire to clear the runway to add someone like Bellinger.

The only potential spot to raise the outfield floor would be in centre field, which would require Varsho to leave via trade and signing Bellinger to fill that spot. It’s a risky move to walk away from a glove-first defender with power to bring in a slightly more established glove-first defender with power.

Bellinger is arguably the best fielder on the free agent market this offseason, and he’s also a top 10 free agent bat and baserunner. His asking price will be high, miles ahead of the three-year $80 million he netted with the Cubs a few years ago. Spotrac projects Bellinger’s potential free agent contract at six years and $182.7 million, while Kiley McDaniel puts Bellinger’s value at six years and $165 million.

He already fits the Blue Jays’ MO of a high-contact bat, a good defender and a plus baserunner. Bellinger doesn’t sell out for power and can easily run into 20+ home runs if healthy enough to play 130 or more games in a season. If this were one year ago, I think this move would be a no-brainer for the Blue Jays, either to sign or trade for Bellinger to bring some left-handed pop with plus defence to the roster. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, they already have several players on the roster who fit that bill at a much cheaper rate.

To me, there are too many working pieces to make it fit. By shooting for the moon to add Bellinger to the roster, there’s the potential of selling low on an existing Blue Jays outfielder or overpaying to bring Bellinger to Toronto. Especially if Bo Bichette doesn’t stay with the Blue Jays, it would be nice for Toronto to replace him with a top-of-the-order bat like Bellinger, but I just don’t see things lining up.