It has been a hectic winter for Ross Atkins and the Toronto Blue Jays front office. The team no doubt got better, but with how many marquee free agents the Blue Jays were linked to at various points in the offseason, it's hard not to be a little bit underwhelmed at the final product.
There was a point in time when it really felt like Juan Soto might take his talents north of the border. There was also a time when it felt like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried might sign in Toronto. Maybe both. Jack Flaherty, Alex Bregman — pretty much all the big names were at least floated as potential Blue Jays targets at one point or another.
In the end, Atkins settled for a nice collection of second or third-tier stars, signing the likes of Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman, and Max Scherzer. The Blue Jays then subsequently failed to extend either Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette, leaving their top two players eligible for free agency in less than a calendar year.
The Guerrero whiff was easy to see coming a mile away. No matter how much both sides professed their love for one another, Guerrero was never going to settle for a team-friendly contract after Juan Soto's historic $765 million bag. The Blue Jays, of course, we never going to bid against themselves this early.
Bichette was a bit more attainable, though. He's coming off his worst season in the big leagues and, to be frank, he's just not the generational talent that Guerrero is. Still, the two-time All-Star at shortstop is still integral to what the Jays are trying to accomplish and, as of now, a reunion next offseason feels unlikely.
Not pushing harder for a new deal with Bichette could end up as one of Atkins' biggest regrets.
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Bo Bichette looks a lot like his old self at Blue Jays spring training
All the reviews on Bichette coming out of Blue Jays spring training are positive. It's February, so nothing's written in permanent ink, but this is the dude who led the American League in hits back-to-back seasons at 23 and 24 years old. Of course his mediocre 2024 campaign was a fluke. Of course Bichette is going to rake like hell in a contract year.
Bo Bichette has been the most impressive player in #BlueJays camp to me.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 26, 2025
It's February, yes, but it's all loud contact. Games, back fields, everything.
Bichette has been dropping cryptic hints to the media all month. He's clearly very confident in what's to come. After being "locked up mentally" last season, as he told Sportsnet, the talented 26-year-old believes he is "back to being who I am, which is, I play free."
"I've always done that,” Bichette said. “I’ve always gone up there and tried to hit the ball as hard as I can, trusting my work. Separating the cage from the game. It's not going to feel that good every day, but you can compete every day and you can give your best every day."
Bichette was the subject of countless trade rumors last season, with many even speculating that he desired a trade out of Toronto. Bichette has never said such a thing to the cameras, though, and one has to imagine he would've taken a respectable contract offer from the Blue Jays. But, one never crossed his desk, which means this season is all about proving his worth and lining up the suitors next winter.
Toronto was so close to being something special. Just one or two more breaks in free agency, and we might be talking about the Blue Jays as a perennial powerhouse in the AL East. Instead, it sure feels like next season will be all about recovering from the departures of Guerrero and Bichette, which will leave Toronto's stores barren and their future murky. It's unfortunate.