Blue Jays delivered another blow as surprise suitor steals Bo Bichette in free agency

Not even 24 hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers shook the baseball world to its core by giving Kyle Tucker $60 million per year over the next four years, the Toronto Blue Jays have been dealt another impossibly bad hand.

According to multiple reports, the New York Mets — another finalist in the Tucker sweepstakes — have signed Bo Bichette in free agency.

That feels like another absolute stunner because the Phillies were reportedly in the lead for Bichette as recently as this morning.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Bichette is expected to play third base for the Mets. His $42 million annual salary ranks second the team behind Juan Soto and would have ranked first on the Blue Jays.

Following the Chicago Cubs' signing of Alex Bregman, the three best position player free agents are now all off the board.

Blue Jays lose Bo Bichette, but have properly insulated themselves from catastrophe

There's no way positive way to spin missing out on both Tucker and Bichette when it appeared like, at various points of the offseason, the Blue Jays were the favorites to sign either player. Watching them head to Los Angeles and New York, respectively, brings back some painful memories of the Blue Jays finishing on the podium for marquee free agents like Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki.

However, the Jays haven't simply stood around and watched this winter. Motivated by their near-takedown of the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series, they've added arguably the best pitcher on the market (Dylan Cease), one of the best sluggers from the NPB (Kazuma Okamoto), and some valuable depth to the rotation (Cody Ponce) and bullpen (Tyler Rogers).

And, unlike the short-term, opt-out laden deals for Tucker and Bichette, Cease's contract is a long-term pact that'll keep him attached to Toronto for the remainder of his career. The Blue Jays did most of their activity early in the winter, but that shouldn't mitigate the impact of their additions.

Plus, with Andrés Giménez set to take over shortstop on a full-time basis and Ernie Clement ready to step in at the keystone, the middle infield is more or less settled.

All that being said, it's impossible to watch Bichette depart and not feel some type of angst. He came up with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and was so close to delivering the city its first championship in more than 30 years. Now, the dream of both stars lifting the Commissioner's Trophy together is dead.

At least both he and Tucker went to the National League, though, right?