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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Bo Bichette very nearly had his signature World Series moment. Instead, he'll have to settle for a huge new contract this winter.
After returning from a six-week injury absence and batting .348 in the World Series with a three-run home run to open the scoring in Game 7, Bichette is looking to cash in on the open market. But he's also maintained throughout the season that he wants to remain with the Toronto Blue Jays.
That said, it's not as if the Blue Jays are set up to land some sort of massive hometown discount. Bichette's future at the shortstop position is in question, and he'll probably never have a better opportunity to land a better combination of years and average annual value than he does now.
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Case in point: On Tuesday, The Athletic's Tim Britton projected a whopping eight years, $212 million for Bichette, based on the fact that Willy Adames, a lesser hitter, got seven years and $182 million from the San Francisco Giants last winter.
"While Adames’ overall production outstrips Bichette’s, the latter has been a better offensive player, and offense gets paid more than defense," Britton wrote. "(Furthermore, Adames’ once sturdy defensive value had plunged heading into free agency, to the point that he, like Bichette, now faces questions about his long-term future at short.)
"Bichette is also a year younger, which could mitigate some of his injury concerns. That’s where the comp to (Corey) Seager comes in; Seager was a fellow shortstop who performed when healthy but missed plenty of time, and he was paid off his peak performance. Bichette won’t reach those heights, but he should be able to surpass Adames’ deal."
Seager got 10 years, $325 million from the Texas Rangers before the 2022 season, a deal that paid off in a World Series title only a year later.
The Blue Jays saw in the World Series that Bichette's impact at the plate could one day be the driving force behind a championship, which they'll now have to wait at least a 33rd year to win. They also saw throughout the playoffs that their infield defense functions better without him at shortstop, even when he returned and played a respectable second base on one good leg.
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