Brandon Belt thinks Blue Jays should be considered World Series favourites

New Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Brandon Belt clearly isn't one to shy away from expectations.

Belt, who signed with the Blue Jays earlier this month as a free agent, joined TSN Overdrive on Wednesday and revealed why he chose Toronto over other possible destinations, citing the young talent and lofty goals as major selling points.

"I'm really excited about joining the Blue Jays this year. I think at the end of the day, when it came time for me to decide where I was going to go play, Toronto just excited me the most," Belt told hosts Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLennan. "A lot of it had to do with the roster. They have a lot of good ballplayers and a lot of good young ballplayers, too.

"Any time you think about having a chance to win a World Series it's impossible for you to not to get excited, and that's how I feel about the Blue Jays and that's the main reason why I chose the Blue Jays over anybody else."

In addition to Belt, the Blue Jays added Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, Chris Bassitt, and Erik Swanson, among others, this offseason as they look to improve upon last year's wild-card appearance. Belt thinks this team has what it takes on paper to go all the way. He knows a thing or two about winning championships, having won two titles over his 12 seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

"It's great to be favourites but you want to be known as a World Series champion. We should be World Series favourites this year," Belt said. "They added a few more pieces this offseason and we should be better than last year."

While this time of year is always ripe with optimism, it's worth remembering Toronto was the betting favourite to lead the American League in wins last season but ultimately finished second in the AL East and quickly fizzled out in the playoffs.

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