Hazel Mae passes on Bo Bichette heartbreaking final message to Blue Jays fans

On Wednesday, Hazel Mae shared a short note from Bichette directly to the people who rode with him in Toronto. It wasn't long, but it landed, because this one isn't just a roster move, it's a goodbye.

In the message, Bichette speaks on how badly he wishes they won game 7 of the World Series and wishes he could have brought home a championship to the city of Toronto.

He added that Toronto will always have a piece of his heart for all the city has done for him.

Bo Joseph Bichette arrived as a second-round pick in 2016, and by the summer of 2019 he was already making the Rogers Centre feel louder. He didn't talk like a franchise savior, he just played like one.

Over seven seasons he turned shortstop into a nightly highlight and the batter's box into his office. His career line sits at a .294 average with 111 homers and 437 RBIs, and he just posted a .311 season with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs.

If you've been in that building, you know fans trusted him in a big spot even when the rest of the lineup felt wobbly.

That's what he's meant to the city, reliability without the theatre. He led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022, made two All-Star teams, and rarely looked rattled, even when pitchers tried to live on his hands.

The last few months only sharpened the bond. Bichette came back in the World Series despite a knee that wasn't right, and still hit .348 in that series, because that's the kind of stubborn competitor Toronto adopted as its own.

Now he's officially gone, signing a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets, and it's fair for fans to feel whiplash.

The Jays don't just lose a bat, they lose a tone-setter who made «professional at-bat» feel like a personality trait.

Toronto will keep moving, it always does, but Bichette's chapter is going to be one fans tell their kids about, right up until the day he comes back for his first ovation in visiting colors.