Now that the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have made their big starting pitching splash, all eyes are on Bo Bichette.
News of the Blue Jays’ reported agreement with star pitcher Dylan Cease broke earlier this week, and his expected seven-year, $210 million contract certainly isn’t a small commitment. But it’s hard to believe the club would have shelled out that money so early in the offseason if it didn’t expect to be able to afford Bichette as well.
Nevertheless, Bichette’s stay in Toronto, which began in the summer of 2016 during the draft, is not guaranteed to continue by any means.
On Sunday, Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson of MLB.com made the case for why Bichette might and might not stay put in Toronto, and made a fairly strong argument detailing why there could be another team that makes a commitment the two-time All-Star would prefer.
“Bichette’s market will have a wide gap between its ceiling and its floor,” Matheson wrote. “Some clubs will view Bichette as a second baseman and point to his declining baserunning and athleticism. Other clubs will accept that his offensive upside is enough to cover up some defensive shortcomings and still consider him a shortstop.
“The Blue Jays have said publicly that they’re open to Bichette playing short, but it’s clear that Andrés Giménez could be a Gold Glover at that position if Bichette plays second. Money matters, and while Toronto could hold a tiebreaker in a tight bidding war, that sentimentality isn’t going to be enough to make up for any significant financial gap once his market finally flourishes.”
It has felt all along like the odds of Bichette re-signing hinge greatly on the shortstop question. Is the 27-year-old alright with shifting off his natural position, especially if it’s the Blue Jays telling him they no longer trust him to man it? And will another team step up and tell him he can have a blank check to stay at short?
The winter meetings are barely a week away, so we may not have long to wait for answers.
More MLB: Blue Jays Could Cut Ties with Promising 26-Year-Old: Insider
