5 rival trade rumors that could be disastrous for the Blue Jays

4. The Yankees have been linked to Cody Bellinger of the Cubs

Once again, Sports Illustrated indicated that MLB Insider Jim Bowden had reported that the Yankees would like to improve their outfield, so someone like Cody Bellinger from the Cubs could be an ideal fit for the ballclub. After all, Bellinger is currently in the midst of a resurgent season with the Cubs, appearing to have regained some of his prior MVP form back in 2019. With the abundance of teams ahead of them in the playoff chase, the Cubs will most likely be sellers at the trade deadline and Bellinger would be one of their strongest trade chips to use at their disposal.

For the 2023 season, Bellinger has delivered an outstanding .309 batting average, along with a .890 OPS, with 53 runs scored, 15 doubles, 14 home runs, 45 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. More importantly, he has been red-hot leading up to the trade deadline, as for the month of July, he is scorching the league with a .429 average, 1.200 OPS, with 18 runs scored, seven home runs and 23 RBI in just 20 games played. He has definitely raised his stock considerably in his bounce back year and will definitely draw a lot of interest from different teams in their pursuit of a power bat.

The Blue Jays themselves would like to add a power bat of their own, and someone like Bellinger would be exactly what they are looking for. As a result, it would hurt even more if Bellinger ends up going to a division rival and ends up helping the Yankees knock off the Jays for a playoff spot at year’s end. So the Jays better pray it does not come to fruition, or better yet, make sure they jump in to get him first.