In the ultra-competitive American League East, the Toronto Blue Jays can use all the help they can get to keep up with the pack. Adding first baseman Brandon Belt to the mix sounds like a nice addition.
The free agent is reportedly signing a one-year deal to join the Blue Jays, according to Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic. Terms of the deal is reported to be $9.3 million for the upcoming season.
Before deciding to head north of the border, Brandon Belt has played all 12 of his years in MLB with the San Francisco Giants. During his tenure with the Giants, he was part of two World Series-winning teams in 2012 and 2014.
2022 was an injury-plagued season for the first baseman. A knee injury that required surgery limited him to 78 games played, and in 2021, injuries held him to 97 appearances. Even with the limitations, he was still able to hit a career-best 29 home runs.
Belt, 34, joins a lineup that already has a lot of pop before his decision to come to Toronto. Headlined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer, the Blue Jays are consistently a threat to score ten runs and hit three or four home runs each game. Adding Belt, if he’s able to stay healthy, will add even more bang for the buck to terrorize opposing pitchers.
Toronto looks to build upon a season that saw them make the playoffs as a wild card. In that round, they lost the best-of-three series to the Seattle Mariners, losing consecutive games on their home field. During the regular season, the Blue Jays won 92 games, a one-game improvement from their win total in 2021.
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