Are Blue Jays ready to sign Bo Bichette to a long term deal?

Not many would have predicted that 2025 would be the year the Toronto Blue Jays finally start seeing the benefits of their rebuilding seasons, but later is better than never. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette made their MLB debuts in 2019, it didn't feel like it would take six seasons for them to be anchoring a team that was competing among the American Leagues best. Yes, they have had good seasons since 2019, but nothing as prolific as we're seeing this season.

They also have never won an AL East division title, and they also have yet to win a single playoff game, let alone bring a World Series championship to Toronto. But as of August of 2025 - they are in the drivers seat, in control of their own destiny, and they are both having tremendous seasons that should have fans excited about not just how 2025 finishes, but how many more years of there prime we'll get to see in a Toronto jersey.

Are Blue Jays ready to sign Bo Bichette to a long term deal?

But that's where the caveat in all this comes in. While Guerrero will be playing in a Toronto jersey for this current generation of Blue Jays fans, and even the next one with his 14-year contract extension, Bichette is about to enter the wilderness as a free agent for the first time in his career. He doesn't have a contract with Toronto beyond this season, and making sure he stays a Blue Jays appears to be one of the main priorities for General Manager Ross Atkins and the Toronto front office.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro spoke on MLB Network Radio on Monday morning and indicated as much, saying "That will be something (general manager) Ross (Atkins) addresses when he puts together his off-season plan, and Bo will certainly be a priority and a part of that."

It is unlikely a deal gets done before free agency begins as Shapiro stated that extensions rarely happen in August and September, especially when a player is so close to getting to test free agency. Listening to Shapiro should give fans some hope that Bo will be back. By his demeaner it feels like the Blue Jays already have an idea of what they want to offer Bichette, but are completely comfortable with the star shortstop exploring what else is out there for him.

This isn't too different to what the Yankees did with Aaron Judge when he hit free agency a few years ago. He was allowed to explore what else was out there. Given an opportunity to see how other teams valued him and where they saw him fitting in with their organization. At the end of it all, he came back with all this information and used it in negotiations with the Yankees and got the contract he wanted. There is certainly some risk to operating that way, but the Blue Jays find themselves in a win-win spot right now.

If Bo comes back, great, they have the guy they want and hopefully have him for a long time coming, although the downside is they already have $52 million committed to the right side of the infield with Guerrero's $35 million and the $15 million owed to Andrés Giménez. If Bichette gets anything north of $200 million as expected, that will add on a significant amount of money to the AAV's they are paying out - and they also need some money for a third baseman. Whether that be Ernie Clement, Addison Barger or someone else.

If Bo doesn't come back, the consensus is that Giménez has the defensive skills to play at second, while guys like Clement, Davis Schneider and others can handle second base duties. The Blue Jays are also developing some depth at the middle infield spots, including two of their last three first round picks in Arjun Nimmala (2023) and JoJo Parker (2025) both drafted as shortstops.

Regardless of which way it goes, "Bo Watch" will be a hot topic during the coming winter and it appears the Blue Jays are ready to come to the table with a competitive offer.