MLB Insider Reveals Skeptical Outlook on Bo Bichette's Position Before Free Agency

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette will be hitting free agency this offseason but his future might be at a different position.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette will be hitting free agency this offseason but his future might be at a different position. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In this story:

Bo Bichette is having a phenomenal season and is heading into free agency, but one MLB insider is skeptical of his future position.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal explained that the Blue Jays All-Star isn't viewed as a long-term shortstop by many in baseball. That will be a huge hit to his potential value moving forward.

"The shortstop market this winter is very thin. You've got Bo Bichette out there. But Bo Bichette in the eyes of many in the industry, should not be at shortstop, or at least not for much longer," Rosenthal said.

Bichette is currently slashing .310/.354/.478, with 17 home runs, 88 RBIs and 74 runs scored. He has an OPS of .832 with a wRC+ of 130, which would be a career-high for a full season. His xwOBA of .363 is also a career-best mark.

The issue for the 27-year-old is that he currently ranks 34th among MLB shortstops with -13 outs above average defensively. That's dead last among qualifiers at the position, and the next worst is Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe at -8.

It's like Bichette moves to second base in the future, which will significantly reduce his value. The one thing he has going for him is, as Rosenthal mentioned, the incredible weakness of the shortstop crop this coming offseason. Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story can opt out, as can new Braves addition Ha-Seong Kim, while bargain options like Miguel Rojas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Amed Rosario will also be available.

We'll see how that impacts Bichette, but Rosenthal clearly thinks he won't get the kind of money he's looking for.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.