The Toronto Blue Jays were just a win away from being crowned World Series champions. Bo Bichette played a huge part in getting the team there. He was among the hits leaders all season long before a PCL injury forced him out of action late in the season. Bichette showed true guts by rushing back to play in the World Series, though. His team fell just short, and now he has hit the open market of free agency.
Bichette, who has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays, has hinted that he wants to return to Toronto. The Blue Jays gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a massive contract not long ago, and they'd like to return their core for another championship push. Clearly, the Blue Jays are so close, but losing their star middle infielder would be devastating.
Despite his desire to return, Bichette bolting in free agency can't be ruled out. A powerhouse team like the Los Angeles Dodgers has won back-to-back championships because of their seemingly unlimited payroll and a willingness to spend big in free agency. The New York Yankees are one team that has this kind of spending power, and they are a threat to steal Bichette away from Toronto.
Yankees would have to pay a pretty price to add Bo Bichette
The Yankees haven't spent like the Dodgers in recent years, but they have the power to do so as arguably the most important team in MLB history. The team has tons of talent already. Their outfield is set, as Aaron Judge is one of the best players in baseball, and Cody Bellinger could be returning to the team. In the infield, Ryan McMahon played a key role as a third baseman after being traded for at the deadline, and Jazz Chisholm seems best off at second base.
There are question marks at shortstop, though. Anthony Volpe was an elite prospect who was supposed to thrive in New York, but he has really underwhelmed through three seasons, and it now appears that he'll never reach his potential. Bichette isn't a great defensive shortstop, and he even returned to the Blue Jays' lineup as a second baseman. He is serviceable at short, though, and a huge contract that the Blue Jays can't match and a chance to remain in the premier defensive position may be enough for Bichette to leave his team for a division rival that won the same amount of regular season games last year.
Volpe has batted sub.-215 in two of his three major league seasons. Bichette, meanwhile, had 181 regular season hits. That was only three fewer than the MLB leader, despite the fact that Bichette missed 23 games. Rumors suggest a deal around seven years and $190 million is realistic for Bichette.
That means the Yankees would likely have to significantly overpay to acquire his services. A $230 million deal may be enough to persuade Bichette to join a team he is supposed to hate. Volpe will miss the start of the season, too, as he recently had shoulder surgery. The Yankees have long been known for their ability to hit the long ball. After all, they have Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The team could use an influx of contact ability. Bichette would be the perfect fit; the team just has to be willing to pay a pretty penny. Outbidding Toronto is possible because the team has $500 million invested in Guerrero Jr.
