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Blue Jays get surprising news on Bo Bichette.
The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly had no plans to bring back Bo Bichette.
Bichette had been a key part of Toronto’s team for years, and he had said he wanted to return. Yet, he ended up signing a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets.
Following Bichette’s signing with the Mets, Blue Jays insider Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun reported the team had no interest in bringing him back.
“The Blue Jays didn’t lose out on Bo Bichette. They were never in the game,” Simmons wrote on Sunday. “That was their choice — not your choice, necessarily. It was the New York Mets who chose to pay stupid short-term money for Bichette.
“Just as it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who chose to pay stupid short-term money for free agent Kyle Tucker. The Jays’ offer for Bichette, if there was one — and we’re not certain there was — was nowhere in that league. Not term, not money, not anything.”
The Blue Jays not having interest in Bichette is a bit of a surprise, as he has been a key figure for the team. As well as being a fan-favorite.
Yet, it appears Toronto decided to go in a different direction early in the offseason, and Bichette was never in the Blue Jays’ plans.
“The truth is: Your Blue Jays didn’t want Bichette at the beginning, or at the end,” Simmons added.
Bichette hit .311 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs last season with the Blue Jays.
Bichette Was Never the Blue Jays ‘Priority’
Although Bichette is one of the top hitters in baseball, the Blue Jays decided long ago they weren’t going to bring him back.
Simmons reports that Bichette was never considered a priority as the team focused on pitching and Kazuma Okamoto first.
“You can offer the world for Tucker, as the Jays probably did, and still come away empty-handed,” Simmons wrote. “In the case of Bichette, though, he stopped being a priority long ago and became even less of one when the Jays signed Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Romantically, Jays fans wanted Bichette back in Toronto. He’s been 1-2 on the Blue Jays popularity hit list for all of this decade. He’s one of the great home-produced talents in franchise history. …
“But the front office of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins — neither of whom are particularly romantic in any kind of sporting way — never cared a whole lot for Bichette, going back to firing the scout who recommended drafting him years ago, and picking up the terrible contract of Andres Gimenez, knowing he could play shortstop once Bichette had left Toronto. And then signing Okamoto for $26 million less than Bichette wound up signing for in New York.”
It’s a bold choice from the Blue Jays not to make Bichette a priority, but Simmons believes the decision was made a long time ago. Which is why the team didn’t try to re-sign him before the year, as they did with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who signed in April.
Bichette Wanted to Stay in Toronto
If Bichette had it his way, he likely would have signed with the Blue Jays a long time ago.
During his draft, Bichette reportedly told teams he wouldn’t sign there as he wanted to go to Toronto. Then, throughout his time in Toronto, he has said he wanted to spend his entire career with the Blue Jays.
“I’ve said I want to be here from the beginning,” Bichette said postgame after Game 7. … “I’ll remember this group forever. I think this group taught me what a team is. I think it’s probably the most valuable lesson in my career, so they mean a ton to me.”
However, that will no longer be the case as Bichette will play for the Mets in 2026.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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