Blue Jays' Belt: 'We should be World Series favorites this year'

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Brandon Belt believes his new team has the potential to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy at the end of the 2023 campaign.

"It's great to be favorites but you want to be known as a World Series champion. We should be World Series favorites this year," Belt told TSN's "OverDrive" on Wednesday when asked about the importance of the club's large competitive window. "They (the front office) added a few more pieces this offseason and we should be better than last year."

Belt, who signed a one-year deal with the team on Jan. 10, is also looking forward to playing for a club with World Series aspirations.

"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 play, Toronto just excited me the most," Belt added. "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. ... Anytime you think about having a chance to win a World Series it's impossible not to get excited, and that's how I feel about the Blue Jays."

The 34-year-old veteran slugger joins Toronto following 12 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, which included a championship in 2012 and 2014.

The Blue Jays finished with 92 wins in 2022 but were knocked out of the wild-card round after heading into the campaign as World Series contenders.