Bo Bichette’s decision to decline the qualifying offer looks dramatic on the surface, but the deeper meaning points to stability, not danger. DD
The Blue Jays star shortstop did reject the QO, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be back.
It is time for another deadline for this MLB offseason: qualifying offers. There were 13 players in the majors who were offered QO and today was the day that those players had to decide if they were accepting or rejecting said offer from their organization. One of those athletes was Toronto Blue Jays’ shortstop Bo Bichette.
Bichette has been extremely vocal about his desire to return to the Blue Jays, as his career started there, and it appears that is where he wants to end it. Toronto extended the one-year $22.025M contract to Bichette and he declined, but that isn’t surprising.
The Jays’ shortstop has emerged as arguably one of the best all-around offensive weapons in baseball and has also proven able to play multiple positions in the infield which makes him highly sought out. Bichette is looking for a long-term deal, so even though he didn’t accept the QO, he will more than likely be on the 2026 roster for Toronto.
Bichette with the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays made one of the best decisions of the last decade in 2016, drafting Bichette in the second round straight out of high school. Since then, he has been an All-Star twice and led the American League in hits twice.
In his career he has had three seasons with 20+ homers and was on track to have another one this year had he not missed the final month of the season with a sprained knee. Since his debut in 2019 he has posted a top tier list of stats which is why he is looking at quite the contract with the Jays.
- .294 Batting Average
- .337 On-Base Percentage
- .469 Slugging Percentage
- .806 OPS
- 748 Games, 904 Hits
- 190 Doubles
- 111 Home Runs
- 437 RBI
Toronto has a lot on its mind this offseason, with multiple players who have hit free agency, along with Bichette, like starting pitchers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer. One player surprisingly already came to terms with the Blue Jays and that was Shane Bieber.
Bieber’s contract was for one year and $16M ultimately impacting how the Blue Jays will make moves in the next few months. It is easy to assume that Bichette is going to be the second-highest-paid player on the roster, trailing only Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $40M a year.
There is no reason for Blue Jays fans to panic because Bichette rejected this offer; ultimately, this is a good thing. Both he and the organization want him locked down for more than a year, which is what everyone can expect to be the next announcement regarding Bichette and his contract.
