The winter meetings have nearly arrived, and in Toronto Blue Jays circles, all eyes are on two-time All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette.
Nearly 10 years after the Blue Jays drafted him in the second round, Bichette is set to become one of the top earners among free-agent position players this year. He’s consistently maintained that he wants to stay in Toronto, but that’s no guarantee he’ll do so once he finds out what other offers are out there.
Toronto has missed out on its top targets in free agency at each of the last two years’ winter meetings: Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. Luck appears to be turning in the Blue Jays’ favor, though, as they were able to acquire Dylan Cease, who might be the highest-paid pitcher of the offseason at $210 million over seven years.
More importantly, according to one insider the Blue Jays have a factor working in their favor that hans’t often been on their side in the past.
Keegan Matheson of MLB.com scoffed at the idea of a “hometown discount” for Bichette on Wednesday, but still hinted that the 27-year-old’s familiarity with Toronto and stated desire to stay could be a crucial “tiebreaker” in the Blue Jays’ favor.
“Let’s not waste any time here,” wrote Matheson. “It’s a charming narrative each offseason, but 999 times out of 1,000, money talks and money wins, especially when we’re talking about long-term deals like the one Bichette is expected to sign.
“Instead, think of this like a tiebreaker. This is still extremely valuable. The Blue Jays have been on the wrong side of tiebreakers over the years, whether it be due to the quality of their roster, the fact they play in Canada or any number of other factors. This time, they should be on the right side of that tiebreaker.”
If all the Blue Jays have to do is match the best offer on the table for Bichette, the only way they’re really at risk of losing him is if a team is significantly higher on him than they are. Whether that’s the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, or Los Angeles Dodgers, someone would need to put up an unexpectedly huge offer for Bichette, probably in excess of $200 million.
If Bichette is the Blue Jays’ top priority, it’s hard to believe they’ll lose him. But we don’t know what a team truly thinks of a player until it shows us with their reported contract offers.
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