Competition in the American League East has never been more fierce.
In the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, the East now possesses the last two AL pennant winners. But the last team to win the World Series in the division is still the Boston Red Sox, who had a rough patch for a few years after their 2018 title, but made the playoffs with an exciting young core this past season.
Boston certainly could be a threat to the Blue Jays in their quest for a division title repeat next season, and to make matters more interesting, we also know the Red Sox have been monitoring the market for Toronto’s All-Star shortstop, Bo Bichette.
There’s a major leap to take from simply checking in on a top free agent to signing him away from a division rival. But one baseball writer believes the Red Sox will go the extra mile.
On Tuesday, Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com predicted that Bichette would sign with the Red Sox this season, replacing the older All-Star Alex Bregman, who also hit free agency when the World Series ended at the start of last month.
“If Alex Bregman signs elsewhere, (I) could see Bichette moving to third base at Fenway Park,” Caldera explained.
Boston could also slide Bichette to second base, with veteran Trevor Story occupying the shortstop role and former top prospect Marcelo Mayer showing his strong defensive abilities at third base as a rookie this year.
Bichette has consistently said throughout his career that he wants to win a World Series in Toronto, and his Blue Jays came up a few inches short of that objective in Game 7. So for Boston to convince him to turn heel, there would figure to be something significant about the offer that Toronto wasn’t matching.
The winter meetings are fast approaching on Sunday, so soon, there could be more clarity to where Bichette’s market actually stands,
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