If the Blue Jays don't sign Bo Bichette, this is where we hope he goes

We'll get this out of the way first; the Toronto Blue Jays should still be doing everything they can to bring back Bo Bichette. The 27-year-old was drafted and developed by the Blue Jays and became a star player in Toronto. He's a free agent for the first time in his career and despite the piles of money the Blue Jays have already dished out this offseason there is still a clear fit for Bo on this team.

But the news of Bichette signing with another team, if he does, will certainly sting. However, there are some teams that Toronto fans would absolutely hate to see Bichette playing in their uniform, and others that would be somewhat more digestible.

If the Blue Jays don't sign Bo Bichette, this is where we hope he goes

The "Absolute NO!" teams

The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox likely top the list of teams that no Blue Jays fan wants to see sign Bichette. The Yankees and Red Sox being division rivals is the biggest reason, and the Blue Jays have already lost several players to the Dodgers over the past few years.

The "That hurts and it will take a while to forgive you" teams

The Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are also teams that would hurt to see Bo sitting at an introductory press conference with their logo in the backdrop. Again, with the Rays and Orioles being division rivals is what drives this category, while the Mariners have become playoff foes in the Vladdy and Bo era and this would feel like he was "joining the enemy." And then there's the Astros who finally seem like they are being knocked off their dynasty pedestal and Bichette going there would certainly give them a jolt.

The "Really? Them?" teams

The Athletics, Chicago White Sox, LA Angels, Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates all fit into this group. These teams are perennial loser franchises and while it doesn't seem like any of them would be willing to spend what it would take to get Bichette, coming out of nowhere to sign him would not only be a shock but also feel like a stab in the heart that Bichette chose to leave the Blue Jays at the height of their competitive window for any of these clubs who are light years from their own World Series aspirations.

The "Meh, could be worse," teams

The Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres all fall into this group. There are reasons for Blue Jays fans not to love each one. Minnesota is responsible for a recent Blue Jays playoff exit. The Diamondbacks employ a player who could be a future perennial All-Star who once belonged to the Blue Jays (Gabriel Moreno) and the Padres, at one point, were picking up players left and right that the Blue Jays were seemingly interested in. But none of those things feel like they strike absolute vitriol into the hearts of Blue Jays fans, and so, Bo ending up in these markets wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

The "At least it’s not the Yankees" teams

The Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals all end up here. They are all relatively big to massive market teams that could cut a check tomorrow to sign Bichette if they wanted to, and it wouldn't feel completely out of left field. Sure, some of these teams are in more of a window of contention than others, but they have all signed big name players to big time contracts in the past. And if he's going to go to another major market, Blue Jays fans would certainly prefer if it wasn't the Bronx Bombers.

The "Under the radar" teams

It would be hard to find anyone who thinks the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals would be in on the Bichette market, but if they come out of nowhere with a deal for him, you almost just have to tip your cap to them for getting it done. The Guardians and Royals could be one move away from being considered favourites in a wide open AL Central. The Nationals have been looking for a superstar to wear their jersey ever since they won the World Series in 2019. Juan Soto, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner used to play there, why couldn't Bo?

The "Family legacy" teams

Bo's father, Dante Bichette, played for five teams during his 14 year big league career. Those teams include the Angels, and Red Sox, but we've already sorted those teams into more fitting categories. That leaves us with the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, and, to a lesser extent, the Cincinnati Reds. While you could throw these teams into a couple of different categories, the fact that his dad played here lessens' the blow a little bit more for Blue Jays fans if Bo chose to sign in any of these markets. Plus these are all teams in the National League, and unless they meet in the World Series, they would bear no hinderance on Toronto's intent to contend.

The "Secretly rooting for him" team

That leaves us with one final team, the Atlanta Braves. Ex-Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is still at the helm of this group and has guided them to a World Series already this decade. Many Blue Jays fans will always have a soft spot for the Canadian born GM, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him try to bring Bichette to his squad. From Josh Donaldson to José Bautista, Anthopoulos hasn't been shy about landing former Blue Jays star players and Bichette would be another one to throw on the list.