Blue Jays' Bo Bichette Gets Encouraging Projection with Free Agency Looming
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Bo Bichette's resurgence has been an encouraging storyline in a very fun season for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Coming off a brutal year where he missed half the Blue Jays' games and saw his offensive stats fall off a cliff, Bichette has rebounded and found his former All-Star form.
With an .807 OPS this year, Bichette is back above his career average. He's also got 16 home runs, all of which have come since the start of May, and 78 RBIs, which is tops among major league shortstops.
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 28: Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on before playing the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on March 28, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by)
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 28: Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on before playing the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre on March 28, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by)
Sousa/Getty
At one point, it looked like Bichette's free agency would be a tough sell. But now, with only two months of regular-season ball to go before he hits the open market, it appears the 27-year-old is primed to cash in.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Tim Britton projected Bichette as the No. 2 free agent in this winter's class, behind Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs. That label should prove fruitful if it indeed holds true when the market opens.
"The Jays have the AL's best record, and that's in no small part owing to their shortstop's renaissance. Bichette's numbers this season align neatly with the career track record he compiled before last year's unpleasantness, and he's been especially hot (as Toronto has) since just before the All-Star break," wrote Britton.
"Since July 7, only Nick Kurtz has compiled more wins above replacement (according to FanGraphs) than Bichette. He's the easy No. 2 in this free-agent class behind Kyle Tucker."
If Bichette is indeed the second-most coveted free agent behind Tucker, who looks like a candidate for at least $400 million, he would be set up nicely to make well over $100 million and possibly eclipse $200 million on the open market. Spotrac's calculated annual value for Bichette is over $21 million, and that could climb in an aggressive market.
Of course, Bichette's primary objective is to bring the Blue Jays a World Series first. But Toronto has serious decisions to make about how much they think their homegrown shortstop is worth.
More MLB: Red Sox's Roman Anthony Matches Ted Williams' 86-Year-Old Franchise Record
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