Cody Bellinger Free Agency Rumors: MLB analyst picks Blue Jays as favorites to land former Cubs outfielder post Shohei Ohtani miss 

Cody Bellinger is one of the next dominos expected to fall after Shohei Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. While multiple teams are likely looking at the outfielder, a return to the Chicago Cubs or a fresh start with the Toronto Blue Jays are seen as the likeliest options.

Former New York Mets general manager and current MLB analyst Steve Phillips shared his thoughts while speaking on MLB Network Radio. He favored the Toronto Blue Jays as the likeliest landing spot and gave his reasons as to why:

"What is the level of desperation for the Blue Jays? They lose out on Ohtani, which, you know, there's no shame in coming in second and they were in on the best player in baseball and ownership was willing to commit some serious money.

"We also know that Bellinger's wife tweeted out a picture of the tower in Toronto and so we start looking and thinking 'okay, there's a connection, they probably went to go check it out, there was a visit.'"

The question for Phillips is what a Cody Bellinger deal would look like and how far the Blue Jays would be willing to go:

"They've got a young team, they've got Bichette and Guerrero who they have control of for two more years, they've got a window now to go for it but what are you willing to do if you're Toronto? And would you be better served going four years at $28 million a year and only going a four-year deal, as opposed to getting eight years on a contract there?"

While Toronto is the more likely option for Cody Bellinger than the Cubs, Phillips thinks that there may be another team in the running too:

"It seems to me that the Cubs are in at the level of eight years, so there's got to be a mystery third team that comes in."

Cody Bellinger rumors: Cubs and Blue Jays heavily linked but a deal appears far off being signed

Cody Bellinger enjoyed a stellar 2023 season, winning the National League Comeback Player of the Year and Silver Slugger awards. As such, he is looking to cash in on that in free agency.

Bellinger is said to be looking for a $200 million deal that could span eight years. This might be an issue for the Cubs, as one NL executive told ESPN:

"The Cubs aren't a 'pay a guy until he's 40 at a maximum rate' type of team. The Blue Jays may not be either, but they're a bit more desperate to finish their roster building. They may match his price."

Cody Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, has a reputation for being patient with negotiations to get the best deal for his clients. The executive also mentioned:

"My experience with [Boras] is that he asks for a big number of dollars and years and doesn't budge for quite a while. He's not afraid to carry a guy into February or March as a free agent. Then he figures it only takes one team to blink and they usually do."

Cody Bellinger would fill a need in the Blue Jays roster and failing to recapture him would create one for the Cubs. As such, Bellinger does appear to have the leverage as both teams need him, so he can afford to be patient.