Blue Jays Rumor Roundup: 2 former MVPs, Japanese ace firmly on club's radar

Christian Yelich

Previously, we had taken a look at Yelich as a player the Blue Jays would be smart to target. He's got a massive contract, but that could play in the Jays' favor. Since he is still owed so much money, the Milwaukee Brewers are likely going to have to either eat some of the money, or settle for less of a return in trade talks because of the monetary situation.

According to everyone's favorite MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays are "kicking around Yelich" in internal trade discussions.

Yelich, 32, is under control through the end of the 2028 season. His contract also comes with a team option for the 2029 campaign. When he first signed this deal back in 2020, he was fresh off of an MVP Award and a second-place finish in the voting the next season.

Since then, his production had tapered off a bit but is now rising once again. Last season, he had 19 home runs with 76 driven in in 144 games. His 124 OPS+ was the highest he posted in a year since 2019 when he finished second in the MVP voting.

It's worth noting that the two-time batting champion has dealt with multiple back injuries in recent years, and those are known to be ones that nag you and have a high likelihood of not healing properly. If his offensive output from 2023 was any indication, he may be turning things around.

The Brewers are a club with multiple tradeable assets. After they non-tendered Brandon Woodruff and began dangling Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames in trade talks, their roster began to feel like an "everything must go" situation. Yelich and his contract is surely something the club would love to get out from under, even if he's beginning to turn things around.

With Nathan Lukes projected to be the Blue Jays' every day left fielder in 2024, the time is now for an upgrade. Sure, there are multiple free agent options out there, but adding Yelich would be a massive get for this Jays club.

Cody Bellinger

Sticking with Heyman, the Blue Jays are also finalists in the Cody Bellinger sweepstakes. Each of the Jays and Cubs are apparently pursuing the 2019 MVP. Notably, both clubs were also aggressively pursuing Shohei Ohtani, so Bellinger is Option B.

Bellinger, 28, signed a one-year, "prove it" type of deal with the Cubs prior to last season. He was coming off of two consecutive seasons in which he was well below-average at the plate, so he aimed to rebuild some value on the Cubs.

In 130 games, he did exactly that. Bellinger hit 26 home runs with 97 RBI and a 133 OPS+. He hit over .300 for the first time since 2019 and won a Silver Slugger Award for the second time in his seven-year career. At season's end, he declined his 2024 team option, choosing to bet on himself and test free agency as a reborn man.

Just a few days ago, Bellinger's fiancée Chase Carter shared pictures on her Instagram profile from the city of Toronto. Naturally, that sent Blue Jays fans into a tizzy. There are rumors on X that Carter posted old images just to stir the pot, but it's also very possible that her and Bellinger were in Toronto meeting with the Jays.

Like Yelich, the fit on paper is absolutely there for Bellinger. He plays top-tier defense in the outfield and could play either center or left field in 2024 with Daulton Varsho playing the other position. This would essentially be the Kiermaier-Varsho tandem from last year with a ton more home run potential.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

One of the last things the Blue Jays need this winter is more starting pitching. With the Gausman, Berrios, Bassitt, Kikuchi quartet leading the way and a hopeful resurgence from Alek Manoah on the horizon, the fit may not quite be there for someone like Yamamoto.

However, the Jays should make this happen anyway. The club clearly has the financial flexibility to make it work, and Yamamoto is coming off of one of the most dominant stretches of play the world has ever seen. In seven seasons in Japan, the right-hander posted a combined 1.82 ERA in 172 games and nearly 900 innings.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported on Tuesday that the Blue Jays are going to meet with the top-tier free agent in the coming days. Unfortunately, there's always going to be competition, with the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Red Sox also securing meetings.

As Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic notes, the Blue Jays could improve their current rotation by signing Yamamoto and then trading away one of the other starters. This feels like the best route for the Jays to go, as Kikuchi and Manoah both have considerable trade value and could be used to upgrade their offense.

Yamamoto is sure to land a major payday in his jump over to Major League Baseball, and he has more than earned it. Historically, there have been many instances where this transition does not work out for the player, but this does not feel like one of those. He is a true ace and has been compared to Pedro Martinez, which says a lot about the quality of player the Jays could be landing here.

Point blank, the Blue Jays need to make a move here. Not only are there multiple different spots on their roster in need of upgrades, but they need to do what they can to keep up with the Yankees. New York has landed Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo in recent days and now is the time for the Jays to make their move before the already-weak market is picked clean.