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MLB sportscaster Chris Rose believes the Toronto Blue Jays will not be willing to keep Bo Bichette on the team beyond 2025, even though they signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension. Rose feels Bichette is going to be a free agent at the end of the year, and the Atlanta Braves are the team that could be most interested in his skill set.
Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both came up through the Blue Jays' minor league system before making their MLB debut in the 2019 season, becoming two of the best players on the team. Both were set to reach free agency next year until Guerrero received the extension last week. Bichette's future, however, is still in the air after his poor 2024 campaign, in which he also struggled to stay healthy.
On Thursday, Bichette's upcoming free agency was a topic of discussion on the "Baseball Today" podcast from Jomboy Media, co-hosted by Chris Rose and former Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe.
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"Didn't he lead the league in hits twice? Now, last year his OPS was under .600. He really hadn't bounced back since that late-season injury in 2023. He just hasn't been the same player," Rose said. "He's still looking for his first home run. He's made a solid start. I wouldn't call it electrifying, but solid.
"So there are a few teams that I look at and say, 'Yeah, I think they'll be in on Bo Bichette. I think the Atlanta Braves might be,'" Rose added. "I think that's a team that might say, 'You know what? We need a dude that can pile up the hits. Maybe that makes sense for us,'" he added.
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Bichette finished at the top of the American League for base hits in 2018 and 2019 and also received MVP votes at the end of those two seasons.
Chris Rose points out Detroit Tigers as another contender for Bo Bichette
Chris Rose also underlined the Detroit Tigers as another team that might want to sign Bo Bichette as a free agent next offseason. He feels the Tigers will be hunting for a shortstop after failing to add Alex Bregman this winter.
"I wonder if the Tigers would be interested in him, right? They took a big swing at Alex Bregman. [Trey] Sweeney's been their shortstop since he came over in that trade last year for [Jack] Flaherty. That would be interesting," Rose said. "I don't know any other teams that are screaming shortstop at this point."
At the moment, Bichette has a .290/.332/.464 slash line over his MLB career with 351 RBIs, 93 home runs and an OPS+ of 119. He has also made two appearances at the All-Star Game for the Blue Jays.
