Toronto Blue Jays were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night in the Game 7 of World Series. Baseball is a game where the clock never stops, as the Blue Jays are about to discover. In just a few days, the Blue Jays will lose their exclusive rights to negotiate with infielder Bo Bichette. Bichette is one of the top winter free agents. We wrote that Bichette’s ideal position is at second base. However, his bat might convince a team not to give up on him for a couple more years. After a disappointing season, he rebounded with a.290 batting average (for only the fourth time out of five attempts) and 60 hits beyond the base line (for just the third time). Bichette’s flat-swing allows him to wear down elevated pitches. His.337 on offerings in the upper half ranks fifth among qualifying players. In addition, he is a relatively young free agent (he will turn 28 in march). While Bichette might still be reprocessing the World Series, the Blue Jays’ front office, and others in the league, have every reason to look into how they can use him. What is the verdict on him? What is his book, good and bad? CBS Sports has created a sort-of buyer’s guide for one of winter’s most fascinating free agent cases. StrengthsIt’s impossible to know how a particular injury will affect a player. It’s probably safer to disregard Bichette 2024 due to his repeated calf problems and fractured finger. It’s due to both his age (he turns 28 in March) as well as his past performance. Bichette, for example, has consistently produced at or above league average in each of his five full-seasons. In both his partial seasons in 2019 and 2020, he also exceeded that mark. Bichette has been a regular in the middle infield since 2021. OPS+ (over 2,000 plate-appearances) puts Bichette eighth among active middle infielders (min.
Bichette is a master at getting the barrel onto the ball. He was among four players who were qualified to be in the 90/90 club. This means that he had an average exit velocity of 90 mph and a 90% rate of in-zone contact. Bichette’s flat attack angle allows him to stay on top of pitches that are high in the zone. He is also an all-fields batter, with at least 25 percent of his batted ball going to the left, right, and center. Bichette’s style isn’t about power. He doesn’t pull or lift the ball, nor does he do anything else like that. But he averages 24 home runs and a 41 doubles in 162 games. These numbers could drop in a more conservative offensive environment. Bichette should remain a good batter and be able to slot in as the prototypical No. The new team can choose to make him a No. 2 hitter. 2. Bichette’s greatest weakness is his shortstop defence. He’s struggled with his shortstop defense, especially when he has to run in. This season he’s also had problems when he needs to play in any lateral direction. His arm strength is also below average. Although this is often overvalued in the public eye, it could rule out a move into the hot corner. Bichette has played second base for the first time in his career in the postseason due to a knee injury. But he will likely be moving there permanently sooner rather than later. Some teams may be willing to overlook his poor glove because of the shortage at shortstop.
Bichette has another notable flaw: his approach. His walk rate of 6.4% this season was the highest since 2019 when he played 49 games. Bichette always offers at more than 53% pitches in a given season. He is not picky whether the pitch is in the strike zone. This season, he was in the 12th percentile for chase rate. To remain productive, he must maintain a high contact rate, and ideally, quality contact. Bichette is also fair to mention that he has not played 150 games or more in a single season since 2022. He had to take time off for soft-tissue injury involving his knees and a quad. Teams are more concerned about this subset of injuries, as opposed to if the player is out of action because of a fractured bone.
3. Contract prediction While contractual terms can seem to come from another dimension at times, you can make good guesses if you take precedents and adjust for inflation and other factors.
Bichette is not alone in this regard. Shortstops in late 20s have signed a number of contracts recently. There are two that stand out in this context: the seven-year contract worth $177 millions signed by Dansby Swinson in December 2020 with the Chicago Cubs and the 7-year $182 million deal Willy Adames struck last winter with San Francisco Giants. Both agreements were long-term contracts that paid between $26 million and $25 million per year. Bichette may be a concern for some teams, but you can assume that he would find a team willing to spend $189M over seven years. Bichette has a number of potential suitors. The Blue Jays seem to be the obvious choice. It’s the only team Bichette has played for, and they showed interest in signing an extension in the spring. The windfall from the World Series and his recent appearance could help both sides reach an agreement.
If Bichette reaches free agency, one wonders if Alex Anthopoulos – the former Blue Jays manager who is now the Braves’ boss – would be willing overlook his defensive shortcomings and install him as shortstop. Atlanta’s interest in Bichette could depend on whether Ha-Seong Kim opts-out of his contract. Perry Minasian is also the general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, who was a scout for the Blue Jays at the time they drafted Bichette. This doesn’t guarantee any interest, but it would be helpful for the Angels to get back to the playoffs. Bichette and Zach Neto could make a powerful double-play. Other than those teams, the clubs that had the lowest production at shortstop were either strong candidates within the organization (Detroit Tigers), wouldn’t spend money on the position (Cleveland Guardians or Milwaukee Brewers) or might have concerns about their defense (New York Yankees).
2025-11-02 05:41:56
