Blue Jays just got closer to Bo Bichette clarity after Ketel Marte update

It appears as if all the rumors surrounding an All-Star second baseman may soon be coming to an end. The Arizona Diamondbacks have may a recent statement that should put the kibosh on any activity involving Ketel Marte.

The spin-off effect means that the Toronto Blue Jays have a much clearly idea on who is and who isn't available to fill their infield needs

Blue Jays just got closer to Bo Bichette clarity after Ketel Marte update

Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen recently told reporters, "This isn’t going to continue to linger…Again my gut this whole time was that [a trade of Marte] wasn’t going to happen, and I think it seems likely that that’s the case and we want to focus on other things we need to do.”

While it's not a finality it's certainly as close as you can get to closing the door on Marte becoming a member of the Blue Jays, or any other MLB team, this offseason. Of course, GM's have been known to change their minds quickly should a deal come along that blows them out of the water. The issue here is that the Diamondbacks are looking for pitching and the Blue Jays just don't seem to have the assets to meet those demands.

They could center a trade around José Berrios, but Arizona could be worried about his health issues that arose at the end of last season. As well, they may be looking into his demeanor on how he handled his move to the bullpen and subsequent absence from the Blue Jays during the World Series.

The Blue Jays could also package a trade around a number of younger players with limited MLB experience or prospects. Names like Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss, Bowden Francis, Adam Macko, and Gage Stanifer all come to mind, but again the Diamondbacks may want more of a sure thing, or "win now" type of pitcher and none of the names listed truly cross off that need.

It could also be that the Diamondbacks like some of these players, but the Blue Jays aren't willing to part with the ones the Diamondbacks really want. And after the Blue Jays have had such a tough time developing home grown starting pitching, you can't blame them for wanting to part with more prospects after giving up Khal Stephen and Kendrys Rojas at last years trade deadline.

So with Mart more than likely off the board, the Blue Jays can now use more of their energy on bringing back Bo Bichette. The 27-year-old who has only played with Toronto in his major league career is a free agent for the first time and has reportedly told teams he is willing to move off shortstop if it helps get a deal done.

That is good news for Toronto as they line up better defensively with Andrés Giménez as the every day shortstop. It could also be in Bo's best interest to resign with the Blue Jays as they may be the one team that is open to having him make starts at short in certain situations like when the Blue Jays face a tough left-handed pitcher. This is where they could opt to sit the lefty hitting Giménez (.175/.233/.263 in 86 plate appearances vs. lefties in 2025) and place Bichette at short with Ernie Clement at second (.326/.351/.549 in 187 plate appearances vs lefties in 2025).

The Blue Jays are already at a better starting point with their roster this offseason than they were a year ago, especially on the pitching side. But there are still some upgrades to be made to the offense and with Marte no longer being dangled as an option, it only makes sense for them to turn to the guy they know the most and make a deal happen with Bichette.