Pressure Will Start to Mount for Blue Jays Star Shortstop in Contract Year
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Even though the Toronto Blue Jays have had a great season so far, they didn’t perform well against the defending World Series Champions.
The Blue Jays were riding high coming into the weekend with a lot of momentum from their historic series against the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately, things did not go well for Toronto against the Dodgers.
This was a significant series for the Blue Jays despite it being against an opponent from the other league. Since Toronto is seeking to be the team to beat in the American League, a series win against the Dodgers would have helped prove that.
However, it wasn’t a strong showing for the Blue Jays, and now the team will have to wonder about whether they are good enough to hang with the best of the best.
Overall, it has been a strong campaign for Toronto, and a lot of that is because of some players having bounce-back seasons. For one player in particular, the strong year could be setting him nicely for a massive payday.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette being under a lot of pressure the rest of the way in his contract year.
“Kyle Tucker is going to fetch the biggest payday in free agency this winter, but Bichette may well be No. 2 on that list. He has been preposterously hot as of late, batting .402 during the 26-game stretch from July 7 to August 6," he wrote.
While it will certainly be Kyle Tucker as the top prize in free agency, Bichette is starting to emerge as the number two option. The star outfielder for the Chicago Cubs is going to be set for a massive contract north of $400 million, but the slugger from Toronto has been able to increase his value quite a bit this season.
How Much Will Bichette Make in Free Agency?
In 115 games, Bichette has slashed .298/.337/.471 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI. It has been a massive improvement from the 2024 campaign, in which he was injured and struggled a lot.
The star slugger totaled just four home runs in 81 games last year and looked like a shell of himself at the plate. However, he has proven to be an All-Star caliber player in this campaign.
At just 27 years old, he will also be hitting free agency at a young age. This will only help increase his value, and a $200 million deal is going to be on the table.
Overall, it will be interesting to see what Toronto elects to do with their star shortstop.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.