Cody Bellinger choosing Yankees during Bo Bichette’s farewell is Blue Jays whiplash

It has been painful enough for Toronto Blue Jays fans to see long-time fan favourite Bo Bichette leave for the New York Mets after seven scintillating seasons with the club. But on a day in which Bichette’s farewell became official, the Blue Jays were dealt a second blow to cap off a double whammy of news on Wednesday.

The New York Yankees just so happened to choose the right time to announce their re-signing of top outfielder, free agent Cody Bellinger, to a five-year, $162 million contract. In doing so, the Blue Jays miss out on another potential difference-making bat to add to their 2026 lineup and beyond, giving them a massive case of whiplash for the day.

Cody Bellinger choosing Yankees during Bo Bichette’s farewell is Blue Jays whiplash

Bellinger was a worthwhile Blue Jays target that they could have pivoted to following their failure to reunite with Bichette. After all, he was coming off a strong 2025 campaign with the Yankees in which he sported a .272/.334/.480/.813 slash line, along with 89 runs scored, 29 home runs and 98 RBIs to finish 14th in AL MVP voting.

More importantly, Toronto would have kept Bellinger from returning to New York, strengthening their own roster at the same time as weakening that of their divisional rivals. However, that dream has now been destroyed after the 30-year-old star outfielder decided to run it back with the team he had success with last season.

If that announcement didn’t hurt enough, it came just shortly after Bichette was introduced by the Mets organization in a press conference. The 27-year-old star shortstop would speak in front of reporters not donning a Blue Jays uniform but a Mets one instead for the first time in his professional baseball career, a sight that Toronto fans would for sure lament. 

After all, Bichette had been one of the heart-and-soul players for the Blue Jays team since the turn of the decade, with his bat speaking even more than his words. The star infielder posted a career .294 batting average and .806 OPS while averaging close to 95 runs scored, 25 home runs and 95 RBIs over a full 162-game schedule during his time with Toronto. Not to mention the countless number of times that he came through with a clutch hit at just the right moment for the Blue Jays.

However, with Bichette now gone, along with losing out on Bellinger to the Yankees who arguably was the best positional player remaining in the free agent market, that uneasy feeling of emptiness has crept up among Blue Jays nation despite the solid offseason they have had to date. The Blue Jays may need one last splash this winter to help ease off the pain they have endured during the past week of free agency.