Blue Jays lose out again as New York Yankees re-sign Cody Bellinger

Outfielder Cody Bellinger, whom the Blue Jays reportedly had interest in after their efforts to sign Kyle Tuckerfailed, has re-signed with the New York Yankees.

Jeff Passan reports that the 2X All-Star and 2019 National League Valuable Player has signed a five year contract worth $162.5MM. He also noted that there are opt-outs after the second and third years, while The Athletic's Brendan Kuty stipulated that there is no deferred money.

Passan also stated that Bellinger will receive a $20MM signing bonus and a full no-trade clause.

While the Blue Jays' interest in Bellinger hadn't received as much attention as their pursuits of Tucker and Bo Bichette, he was a client of super-agent Scott Boras, who has been on good terms with the Blue Jays as of late.

Bellinger is also a better defender than Tucker and can also fill in at first base.

With Bellinger now off the market, it seems increasingly unlikely that Toronto will add another big-name, marquee free agent, although lower-end depth moves are still a possibility.

While the Jays will continue to find ways to make their roster better, signing a "middle-tier" free agent doesn't seem to make much sense at this point.

What is more likely is trading from a position of strength and surplus - such as a Joey Loperfido - for prospects, in order to re-stock the farm system. Toronto traded away a number of high-end farm talent around the deadline last year.

Spring Training is four weeks away.

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