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Blue Jays have found an unfortunate potential back up plan for Bo Bichette
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays have a good chance of retaining Bo Bichette but are still not certain until the contract is signed which is why they have a couple replacements.
The Blue Jays are hoping they can find a way to close a deal with Bichette this off-season who seems to want to return to Toronto which he has mentioned on numerous occasions.
Blue Jays have other options if Bo Bichette walks
Mariners star second baseman Jorge Polanco is currently a free agent and gathering interest from multiple teams who are at risk of losing their current stars such as the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently stated that both team could be interested in Polanco and the Blue Jays would be a great fit if they end up losing Bichette in free agency.
"The beauty of the Seattle Mariners is that they need not rely solely on free agents such as first baseman Josh Naylor, whom they re-signed Monday to a five-year, $92.5 million deal, or second baseman Jorge Polanco, who remains on their wish list," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. " ... Polanco, 32, still would fit nicely, serving mostly as a designated hitter to protect his health but also playing second on days the Mariners want to use Cal Raleigh at DH. But Polanco, according to major-league sources, wants to play out the market. The Boston Red Sox might want him if they lose third baseman Alex Bregman, the Toronto Blue Jays might if they lose Bo Bichette. And those are just two possibilities." -Rosenthal
Polanco had a solid season in 2025 with the Mariners as he finished with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs as well as a .265 batting average and .326 on base percentage.
While these numbers are solid, if the Blue Jays end up losing Bichette in free agency and replace him with only Polanco, their offense will surely suffer, especially after he phenomenal season Bichette had in 2025.
On the defensive side, some would argue that Polanco is a better defender and would fit better at second base than Bichette if Andres Gimenez stays at shortstop for 2026.
Despite this being a solid back up plan, it is clear that the Blue Jays would be much better off by bringing Bichette back on a long term deal even if that ends up costing them over $200 million.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 20 | 738 ANSWERS Blue Jays have found an unfortunate potential back up plan for Bo Bichette Could Jorge Polanco replace Bo Bichette? | ||
| Yes | 185 | 25.1 % |
| No | 553 | 74.9 % |
| List of polls | ||