After 12 seasons with the Giants, Brandon Belt is headed to Toronto. He’s in settlement with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $9.3MM contract for the 2023 season. The Excel Sports activities Administration consumer has reportedly already handed his bodily. The Jays are anticipated to formally announce the signing Tuesday, at which level they’ll must make a corresponding 40-man roster transfer.
A fifth-round decide by San Francisco in 2009, Belt reached the majors two seasons later. He performed in 63 video games as a rookie and took maintain of the first first base job by his second season. Belt was a key contributor on San Francisco’s 2012 World Sequence group, hitting .275/.360/.421 over 145 video games. Accidents restricted him to 61 common season contests through the 2014 season however he was wholesome sufficient to contribute to San Francisco’s third title in 5 years through the playoffs.
Belt battled intermittent damage points all through the approaching years. When wholesome, he was a constantly productive offensive participant. Whereas San Francisco’s pitcher-friendly residence ballpark depressed his over-the-fence energy, he was an annual menace for 30+ doubles and posted enormous on-base numbers due to huge stroll charges. At the beginning of the 2016 season, the Giants inked Belt to a $72.8MM extension that saved him off the open market via the 2021 marketing campaign. He adopted up with a .275/.394/.474 displaying via 655 journeys to the plate, incomes his solely profession All-Star nod within the course of.
The Texas product noticed his manufacturing tail off a bit over the subsequent few seasons, hitting at a barely above-average stage via 2019. He rebounded in an enormous manner in 2020, mashing at a .309/.425/.591 clip to safe some down-ballot MVP help through the shortened season. He continued to rake the next season however noticed that yr regularly interrupted by damage. Belt misplaced time to a left indirect pressure and soreness in his proper knee however managed a .274/.378/.597 displaying whereas shattering his earlier profession mark with 29 residence runs in simply 97 video games. Sadly, an errant pitch fractured his left thumb late within the season and he wasn’t capable of take part in San Francisco’s playoff run.
Upfront of what was set to be Belt’s first journey to free company, the Giants tagged him with an $18.9MM qualifying supply. He accepted and returned to the Bay Space for an additional season. Accidents once more proved problematic, this time seemingly have a deleterious impact on his efficiency even when he did handle to take the sector. Belt had a trio of IL stints final season and whereas the primary was a really temporary absence associated to COVID-19, the latter two have been extra worrisome. He misplaced round three weeks between Might and June as a consequence of irritation in his balky proper knee and that once more arose in mid-August.
After his second knee-related IL placement, the veteran elected to close issues down and endure season-ending surgical procedure. It was the third surgical process he’d undergone on that knee. Belt acknowledged he may ponder retirement if restoration didn’t go nicely, however he instructed reporters just a few weeks later he felt revitalized by the operation.
The accidents despatched him to the open market prematurely of his age-35 marketing campaign coming off arguably his worst season. He hit .213/.326/.350 via 298 journeys to the plate. Belt nonetheless walked at a superb 12.4% clip however noticed his energy manufacturing drop. He managed eight residence runs and posted a career-low .138 ISO (slugging minus batting common). Belt’s 38.5% onerous contact fee, whereas nonetheless a bit higher than common, was markedly down from his 2020-21 ranges.
Toronto clearly believes that diminished manufacturing was a symptom of the accidents, which the membership can hope received’t be as regarding after final summer time’s surgical procedure. If Belt can recapture any of his earlier kind, he’d add a high quality left-handed bat to a predominantly right-handed lineup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be the on a regular basis first baseman. Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk determine to get an honest variety of designated hitter at-bats when the opposite is within the lineup at catcher. Everybody in that group hits from the best facet, so Belt provides some steadiness to the combination. None of these gamers might be strictly relegated to the brief facet of a platoon by Belt however he provides one other high-upside offensive possibility for skipper John Schneider.
It’s a short-term deal however isn’t an insignificant dedication for the membership. Tacking on Belt’s $9.3MM wage brings Toronto’s projected 2023 payroll a bit above $212MM, as calculated by Roster Useful resource. That shatters final yr’s approximate $171MM dedication, which had been a franchise file. Extra notably, it firmly positions the Jays as doubtless luxurious tax payors for the primary time in franchise historical past. The group is up round $242MM in tax obligations, in line with Roster Useful resource. After coming into the night time inside a rounding error of the bottom threshold of $233MM, they’re pushing nicely previous it to usher in extra offensive assist.
A group’s CBT quantity is formally tabulated on the finish of the season, so the entrance workplace may theoretically search for methods to dip again below the road. That appears unlikely because the Jays battle for what they hope might be their first AL East title in eight years. Toronto boasts one of many league’s finest lineups however may nonetheless search for assist in the back of the rotation or within the bullpen over the subsequent couple months.
The Blue Jays pays a 20% tax on their first $20MM in CBT overages. They’re set to tackle round $1.84MM in charges because of this signing, which means their precise dedication to usher in Belt is nearer to $11MM. In the event that they surpass the $253MM mark, they’d be taxed at a 30% fee on any further overages. Going previous $273MM would include additional penalties.
San Francisco will transfer ahead with out one of many final remaining gamers from their glorious run within the first half of the final decade. Brandon Crawford is the one participant from the 2014 group who’s nonetheless a Large. It had lengthy seemed as if the membership have been entering into that course this offseason, with LaMonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis wanting more likely to share first base reps.
Belt had been one of many prime first basemen nonetheless obtainable on the open market. The free agent class on the place is now led by Trey Mancini and Yuli Gurriel, whereas Luke Voit and Miguel Sanó are round as bounceback targets for golf equipment seeking to roll the cube on an influence bat.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was first to report Belt and the Blue Jays have been in settlement on a one-year contract that’d be introduced Tuesday and that Belt had already handed his bodily. Kaitlyn McGrath of the Athletic was first with the $9.3MM assure.
Picture courtesy of USA At the moment Sports activities.
