5 teams the Braves just handed a Bo Bichette lifeline in free agency

The Atlanta Braves claimed infielder Ha-Seong Kim off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. Kim is owed roughly $2 million the rest of this season, with a $16 million club option for 2026. As he nears his return from the IL, the Braves will get an up-close look at him, with the chance to install Kim as their starting shortstop full-time next season. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic broke the news:

Kim, 29, is a former Gold Glove winner who peaked with a .749 OPS in 2023. He has spent the majority of this season rehabbing from a variety of injuries, but the Braves straight up do not have a clear long-term option at shortstop. Kim's defense and base-running, when paired with even league-average hitting, make him extremely valuable.

Of course, should Atlanta commit to Kim, that effectively removes them from the upcoming Bo Bichette sweepstakes in free agency. The Toronto Blue Jays' two-time All-Star, still only 27, has rebounded nicely from a nightmarish 2024 campaign. Bichette has an .832 OPS and 17 home runs, leading the American League in hits (176) and doubles (42) with a .310 average. That is about what we've come to expect from Bichette when he's rolling.

If the Braves are bowing out of a potentially expensive free agency race early, these five teams are in a much better position to strike gold.

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Toronto Blue Jays

This time last season, it felt like Bichette was already halfway out the door in Toronto. He was in the middle of his worst individual campaign to date and there were reports of his discontentment in the clubhouse. Now that all feels like water under the bridge. Bichette is back in the saddle, the Blue Jays are the best team in the American League record-wise and Bichette has expressed his desire to finish his career next to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who inked a long-term extension last winter.

Toronto does not have a clear replacement on the roster. Bichette is incredibly valuable to the heart of this Blue Jays lineup. Not only does he boast arguably the best bat-to-ball skills in MLB, but Bichette can ratchet up the power on occasion and, while he's struggled mightily at shortstop this season, he at least brings a track record at a premium position. Those folks are hard to come by, especially in the primes of their career.

We know the Blue Jays' front office has the financial backing necessary to re-sign Bichette. Ross Atkins made loud but failed attempts to lure Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto north of the border, but he did manage to extend Guerrero while adding (at the time) big-ticket free agents like Anthony Santander.

Bichette and Guerrero are two sides of the same coin: true faces of the Blue Jays organization, now authoring their most successful collective season to date. We shall see what happens in the postseason, but Bichette should have every confidence that this team can compete moving forward. If Toronto comes with a strong offer, there's no reason to think he won't consider a reunion.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are my favorite "sleeper" in the 2025 postseason race, to the extent that we can consider a team with the potential MVP and MLB's best pitching staff a "sleeper." Give Jerry DiPoto and that front office a ton of credit: After years of toiling in mediocrity, Seattle has taken measures to leapfrog the field. Seattle still dominates on the mound, but this lineup is night-and-day better than it was a year ago.

Even if the Eugenio Suárez trade hasn't aged perfectly, his power adds a new element to the middle of the lineup. The Josh Naylor trade, meanwhile, looks like a masterstroke. The M's are headlined by Cal Raleigh, in the middle of a historic offensive campaign, with a lineup that features depth across the board. The Mariners are no longer a team struggling to give its pitching staff adequate run support.

This offseason should continue Seattle's aggressive streak, especially with Suárez and Naylor both coming off the books. JP Crawford has earned his keep at shortstop and Cole Young is a promising up-and-comer, but if there's a relative weak point in Seattle's depth chart, it's the middle infield. Bichette would give them a perfect leadoff bat to hit in front of Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez.

The Mariners aren't big spenders by nature, but depending on how this postseason shakes out, the front office should feel encouraged to go out and do what it takes to hold court in a top-heavy American League. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the mystique of the Yankees or Astros, but Seattle has the pitching depth and top-shelf boppers necessary to extend their World Series window. Bichette would be a home run acquisition.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are another small-market team in the thick of American League competition this season. AJ Hinch might be the best manager in baseball; there's nobody better at maximizing matchups and making the most of disparate parts. But we know Detroit could use a bit more star power in the middle of the lineup.

Tarik Skubal is about to enter a walk year, so the Tigers' window of contention is volatile. Detroit made a strong run at Alex Bregman in 2024 free agency and came up just short. Bregman will be back on the market this winter, but the price hasn't gone down. Bichette might be a more attainable target, not to mention the benefits of adding an All-Star shortstop four years Bregman's junior.

Bichette's swing should play well at Comerica, where home runs are hard to come by. His power numbers might stall, but Bichette can hammer the gaps in the outfield and rack up extra-base hits in front of cleanup bats like Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Factor in solid defense with the potential to shift to third base, and Bichette gives Detroit that one extra everyday, four- or five-tool star it currently lacks.

It's not often that the Tigers are big spenders in free agency, but this front office clearly sees an opportunity worth seizing. Detroit has what it takes to hang with the American League heavyweights, and prying Bichette out of Toronto would go a long way toward establishing the Tigers as a postseason regular for years to come.

New York Yankees

The Anthony Volpe experiment has sufficiently fizzled out. The defense won't stay this bad forever, and Volpe is still extremely young, but the New York Yankees aren't in the business of waiting around. This is one of MLB's premier franchises, with an (almost) blank check from ownership when the right free agents come around.

Bichette can stabilize the left side of the infield next to Ryan McMahon. Moreover, he's a far more consistent hitter than Volpe. He can take advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium without falling victim to the extended cold spells that still plague Volpe. Bichette doesn't strike out a lot. He gets on base in workmanlike fashion and puts a ton of runs on the board as a result.

This is what the Yankees need. Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and others will supply the raw power, but consistency has been New York's bugaboo for years. This offense stalls way too often. Bichette, meanwhile, is a machine; when he's healthy and engaged, very few are better at simply getting the bat on the ball and putting it in play.

Weakening a division rival in Toronto is the cherry on top. New York has the financial wherewithal, the positional need and the divisional spite necessary to commit significant resources toward Bichette. If there's still any part of him that is dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Toronto, what better organization is there to author his second chapter with than the Yankees? It puts Bichette in primetime, with a chance to torture the Blue Jays for years to come.

Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB does not need a salary cap. The system is not "broken" in the way cheap, small-market owners would have you believe. But if there's anything we know about the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2026, it's that their resources are endless and their sights will be set on just about any available star. We've already heard the Dodgers tossed around as a potential sleeper for Kyle Tucker and his $400 million-plus salary. Bichette might be a more realistic target.

Mookie Betts has reached a low point in his career. Meanwhile, the Dodgers' outfield desperately needs a facelift, as the Michael Conforto signing has not panned out. It shouldn't be hard to move Betts to left field and install Bichette at shortstop full-time, where he can share the infield with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Hyeseong Kim.

Los Angeles may ultimately balk at Bichette's asking price — even the Dodgers need to be smart with their spending — but there isn't a more desirable destination in MLB. If the Dodgers decide to throw their hat in the ring, it will be difficult for Bichette to say no. It's the clearest path to World Series contention.

Nobody wants to see the Dodgers keep stockpiling stars, but it's just the nature of the game at this point. Bichette grew up in the southeast and thus felt like a natural target for the Braves, but absent that possibility, the most likely scenario (aside from a reunion in Toronto) might just be a move out west. Starting games with Ohtani, Freeman, Bichette and Betts is not fair, but the Dodgers don't care about "fair." They care about winning.