The future remains uncertain for Bo Bichette. But the New York Yankees are becoming increasingly interested in him.
On Thursday, it was reported that the Yankees are intensifying their efforts to acquire the free agent infielder, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Additionally, this comes at a time when the Yankees appear to be going nowhere in their efforts to retain Cody Bellinger.
According to Heyman, they have made several proposals to Bellinger, but to no avail, leaving the door open for Bichette.
“The Yankees and No. 1 target Cody Bellinger have exchanged multiple proposals but haven’t closed the gap quite enough to shut off other possibilities — either for Bellinger or the Yankees, who are now looking more seriously at superstar infielder Bo Bichette,” Heyman wrote.
Meanwhile, seven other teams are being considered as potential destinations for Bichette.
Among them is his current team, the Toronto Blue Jays. The others include the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies. Also, the Phillies made a $182 million offer to Bichette.
This past season, Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs. Also, the Blue Jays made it all the way to the World Series before losing to the LA Dodgers in seven games.
Additionally, the Yankees tied the Blue Jays with 94 wins in the AL East, but lost in the ALDS.
Bochitte has been in the league since 2019. He is a two-time All-Star and, in 2021 and 2022, was the AL hits leader.
The Yankees would gain and lose if they got Bo Bichette
The principle of “high risk/high reward” certainly applies to the Yankees' potential acquisition of Bichette, per Nelson Espinal of Newsweek.
Bichette can produce at the plate and could match Aaron Judge in terms of power. However, he isn't known for being an elite defender.
At the same time, they would likely have to trade current second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to make way for him. In the same vein, they could move him to third base and trade the current third baseman, Ryan McMahon.
Furthermore, Bichette won't come cheap, as he would ask for a higher salary and a long-term deal.
