There's a path to Yankees, Blue Jays swapping Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette in free agency

Billy Heyen

There's a path to Yankees, Blue Jays swapping Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette in free agency image

Cody Bellinger is a free agent from the New York Yankees, and Bo Bichette is a free agent from the Toronto Blue Jays.

What if they traded places?

No, it wouldn't be a trade in the traditional sense. But there's reason to believe the Yanks could sign Bichette and the Jays could sign Bellinger.

MLB.com's Manny Randhawa made those two links in a new article on Monday.

Randhawa calls it "feasible" that the Yankees could get Bichette.

"A deal that brings Bichette to the Bronx is certainly feasible," Randhawa writes. "Yes, the Yankees have Anthony Volpe at shortstop and traded for Ryan McMahon to play third base last season, but Bichette could potentially be inserted at second, especially after he played at the keystone position admirably despite having a compromised left knee during the World Series. Bichette’s bat would make any lineup better, but it would be particularly promising for the Yankees’ group, which can be feast-or-famine at times."

MORE: How the Buffalo Bills at home in the snow in December are an unbreakable streak

Bellinger to the Blue Jays would likely be a longer-developing situation.

Toronto is interested in Kyle Tucker. Teams are viewing Bellinger as a fallback option if they don't get Tucker.

"It’s clear based on how busy the Blue Jays have already been since losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers in extra innings that Toronto is going all-in to give itself the best chance possible to get back to the Fall Classic," Randhawa writes. "Could the 30-year-old Bellinger end up being part of the blueprint in 2026?"

This would certainly be quite the double-twist in the AL East race, in which Toronto just held off the Yankees in 2025.

They should both be good again in 2026 regardless of these free agent machinations. But if Bichette and Bellinger trade places, that'd certainly make for some more drama.

More news:

Editorial Team