Toronto Baseball Insider has no direct affiliation to the Toronto Blue Jays or MLB
AL Rival set to make Bo Bichette an offer over $200 million
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
After losing in the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays turned their attention immediately to their pending free agents, the most important being shortstop Bo Bichette, however it appears the Detroit Tigers are going to make the offer that will land Bichette.
The Blue Jays are still considered the top landing spot but there has been a lot of interest from other teams as Bichette is one of the top players available this winter.
Bichette heading to the motor city with the Tigers.
Jackson Roberts of Newsweek covered the potential bad news all Blue Jays fans might have to face as their two time all-star, and AL hit leader Bichette might be packing his bags for Detroit. It would heartbreaking to lose him especially after this World Series run they just had.
"After hitting .348 in seven games despite missing six weeks of action and crushing a three-run home run against Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series, Bichette has officially departed the Toronto Blue Jays for now. With legitimate questions about his defensive position and the Blue Jays' need for starting pitching, it's no guarantee he comes back."-Roberts
While Bichette is a key piece to the puzzle, you cannot win without pitching, and this the most important hole the Blue Jays need to fill. It is unlikely Trey Yesavage can serve as the second pitcher in the rotation all season since he hasn't had enough experience yet.
If Bichette ends up getting an offer worth over $200 million from the Tigers, Toronto might end up looking the other way as their main focus seems to be a starting pitcher for the winter.
"In an article published on Friday, Finkelstein projected an eight-year, $208 million contract for Bichette and had him landing with the Detroit Tigers, who had some of the worst infield production of any teams in the sport this year, especially playoff contenders."-Roberts
The Blue Jays have a projected $242M left after accounting for arbitration, which is the fifth highest in the MLB, meaning Bichette would take up most of it, rather than acquiring an ace pitcher. It will be interesting to see how all this unfolds for the Blue Jays and Bichette.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 1446 ANSWERS AL Rival set to make Bo Bichette an offer over $200 million Will Bo Bichette end up signing with the Detroit Tigers instead of the Toronto Blue Jays? | ||
| Yes | 296 | 20.5 % |
| No | 1150 | 79.5 % |
| List of polls | ||