“We will be in on his market,” team president Mark Shapiro said when asked about Bo Bichette, who became a free agent at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
If there is one thing that Ross Atkins has been consistent about in his time as Blue Jays general manager, it generally has been acing the poker-player side of his position.
Rarely does he even hint at the team’s intentions while in the pursuit of big signings, a strategy that has served him well in his decade here, as has the front office’s general immunity to leaking information.
That said, what to make of the seven most influential words he uttered on Thursday regarding the most important piece of business the Blue Jays are likely to face this off-season.
“We will be in on his market,” Atkins said when asked about Bo Bichette, the long-time foundational core player who became a free agent later in the day on Thursday and figures to be one of the most pursued players at the high end of the market over the next couple of months.
The Jays took care of the first bit of business earlier in the day, extending a qualifying offer of $22.05 million US for the 2026 season, a transactional bit of business that Bichette is expected to reject and become a free agent.
Your noon-hour look at what’s happening in Toronto and beyond.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
From there, the drafted-and-developed Blue Jays all-star shortstop will be under hot pursuit from big market teams around baseball
And, if Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro are to be taken at their word, the Jays forcefully will be among that group of suitors.
“He’s been a special part of this organization and a special part of us building torwards this,” Shapiro said at the season-ending press conferences held on Thursday at the Rogers Centre, podium performances held under far rosier circumstances than in recent seasons. “He certainly makes our team better. So, as we go through the off-season planning, I’m sure that will be factored in.”
What’s the biggest issue?
Normally, the big issue is money, though Shapiro flatly swatted that aside as a concern. For one, owner Rogers Communications is bloated by the 2025 success of Canada’s only MLB team and thus, by all accounts, is willing to continue to spend to keep the Jays a serious contender.
And Shapiro believes that there’s room for two franchise-player type salaries, meaning the $200-million or so it would likely take to get Bichette on a long-term deal won’t be compromised by the franchise-record $500-million extension the team dished out to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., in April.
“There are obviously financial realities that come with (signing Bichette) but the possibility for multiple franchise players in a market this size certainly exists,” Shapiro said. “It always creates challenges elsewhere in building a roster because you start to concentrate payroll on just a couple of players.
“But those are recommendations (Atkins) will lead our group through and I’ll discuss with ownership at the right time.”
Still, at some point, will money become an issue if another big-money team makes a too-good-to-be-true offer to woo Bichette away? We shall see, especially if a bidding war escalates both the price and term.
On Thursday, Atkins wasn’t shy about heaping platitudes on Bichette, a fan favourite who rose through the ranks alongside Guerrero and had a remarkable bounce-back season in 2025. The GM also noted that the team is comfortable with Bichette returning at shortstop, if that is part of his demands.
Game 7 heroics
His three-run homer in the third inning of Game 7 of the World Series had the potential to be an iconic moment in Blue Jays history if it weren’t for the extra-innings loss.
‘He’s always been such an impactful player,” Atkins said. “Just the way he answers challenges is as good as it gets. Like facing Dodgers pitching in the World Series, it’s just that other level.
“That type of mindset under the brightest lights wasn’t surprising. That’s why he was there and comfortably there.”
Leave a Reply