Among the many first base options this offseason, one who never showed up on the Cubs’ radar is Brandon Belt. Not only did the long-time Giant not pop up any rumors, but for me, the questions about the status of the knee (surgery ended his season), combined with his age (35 in April) and his slipping production in 2022, left him off my personal radar for the Cubs. Just didn’t see it as the right fit.
But the Blue Jays did, and they’re paying Belt surprisingly well:
Belt did rake in 2020 and 2021 in a match-up-optimized role, so maybe he’ll be in a better place for 2023 after getting the knee addressed. The Blue Jays seem to be betting on it.
It’s just a one-year deal, so you can always explain away a higher price tag, but that’s a much larger guarantee than I was anticipating. It immediately makes me wonder what kind of deal Trey Mancini is going to be able to secure, and whether it is beyond what the Cubs are interested in doing for a supplementary bat that might be only slightly above league average.
Meanwhile, the Cubs should be making the Eric Hosmer signing official any day now.