The Toronto Blue Jays were agonizingly close to their first World Series in over 30 years. In Game 7 of the Fall Classic, Bo Bichette, who was essentially playing on one leg, hit a no-doubt home run to give Toronto a 3-0 lead. Were they not facing the baseball behemoth that is the Los Angeles Dodgers, perhaps that would've been enough. It wasn't, as the Dodgers fought long and hard to secure their second straight World Series, with the deciding home run coming off the bat of Will Smith in the top of the 11th.
But the World Series is out of focus now. The offseason is upon us, and with that comes complicated decisions for the Blue Jays and 29 other MLB teams. Bichette, for one, is a free agent. When he was asked about his future after Game 7, Bichette made it crystal clear he'd like to stay north of the border. Yet, we've heard countless athletes say the same thing before leaving the incumbent franchise behind for more money.
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Will Bo Bichette leave the Blue Jays? One columnist dropped some crumbs
Toronto Star columnist Steve Simmons – who we should note does not cover the team on the Blue Jays beat, but claims to have sources within the clubhouse – wrote Bichette may already have an eye on New York.
"Bichette told everyone who would listen that he wants to stay a Blue Jay as free agency approaches. He wants to continue his World Series quest with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He said that publicly while quietly telling some people he wouldn’t mind playing in New York in the future. The immediate future," Simmons wrote.
The rest of Simmons sentiment about Bichette contained as much useful, original information as this article. That is to say; not much.
"So, maybe he stays. Or, maybe he doesn’t. Or, maybe he already knows where he wants to be. The Blue Jays are taking the soft approach here. They’re letting Bichette walk to free agency. They are, in their words, respecting the free agency he has earned over time," Simmons continued.
Lovely! Yes, Bichette is a free agent, and a columnist is stoking the flames of the Blue Jays biggest fear. Could Bichette leave for a bigger market? Sure. But New York isn't the big, bad wolf.
Where could Bo Bichette wind up if he leaves the Blue Jays?
We'll assume Simmons was referencing the Yankees – the Blue Jays greatest AL East rival – in his article. While the Yankees did make our initial cut of teams that could make a run at Bichette, middle infield is far from their biggest or only need. Bichette doesn't project to play shortstop long term, and New York struggles enough defensively. They also have Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base for at least another year. If Simmons were referring to the Mets, Bichette would be a pretty serious downgrade from franchise icon Pete Alonso. Pass!
Ironically enough, the Blue Jays and Dodgers both make sense for Bichette. Toronto's reasoning is obvious, but the Dodgers less so. If Los Angeles were to sign Bichette, it would likely require moving Mookie Betts or Max Muncy from their natural positions.
The Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers have both been linked to Bichette in the past, as well, with the latter as a reasonable landing spot if Bichette is willing to move to third base. Needless to say, we can play this game with at least half of MLB organizations.
I wouldn't go as far as to say Simmons doesn't know what he's talking about, but his sourcing on this column is suspect to say the least, and likely just an agent trying to drive Bichette's price up. Blue Jays fans should wait until they really have something to panic about.