Bo Bichette to Yankees Heats Up After Blue Jays Signing

The New York Yankees have been stuck on Cody Bellinger for so long they have completely overlooked Bo Bichette.

The star shortstop is not only younger, but he's fresh off one of the best seasons of his career. The sky truly is the limit with Bichette, and that's something the Yankees should cash-in on.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans were left heartbroken when Kazuma Okamoto decided to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays on January 3. He had just one day remaining in his signing window as he truly took it down to the wire.

Knowing Toronto opted to bring in Okamoto, that ends their chances of re-signing Bichette. The seven-year veteran has played exclusively with the Blue Jays throughout his career, but that's all going to change in 2026.

Yankees Must Cash In On Blue Jays Okamoto Signing

BREAKING: Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 3, 2026

While the Blue Jays may no longer need Bichette's services, the Yankees could sure use him. New York's infield is far from perfect, and adding Bichette would wipe the stink away after this team decided to go radio silent since July.

Bringing in Bichette doesn't necessarily make up for all of the other players the Yankees have missed out on, but it's about as good of a consolation prize as one can get. Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 last season as he returned with a vengeance.

His .840 OPS was the highest he's put up since 2019-20 which only includes a 46 and 30 game sample size. Last year, Bichette had 582 at-bats as he appeared in 139 games. Keep in mind, Bellinger only had six more ABs despite appearing in 13 more games.

Bichette > Bellinger

“If you're playing second base, I'm trying to take your hat off.”

Back in 2023, Aaron Judge took Harold through his tee work and referenced Bo Bichette and Nolan Arenado's swings when looking to hit the ball the other way. pic.twitter.com/kWB0ypjcRb
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 3, 2026

It's hard to compare the two players due to them playing completely different positions, but if the Yankees truly have to choose between Bichette and Bellinger, they should go with the former.

Bichette still has a ton left in the tank and he proved that with a stellar 2025 after playing just 81 games the year prior. If for whatever reason they want to throw Bichette into a DH role, they could certainly choose to do so but that would defeat the purpose of paying him an absurd amount for his abilities at shortstop.

The writing was on the wall for Bichette in Toronto, but this Okamoto signing further proved their relationship is beyond repair. It would be truly shocking to see Bichette back in Toronto, so at this point the Yankees have no reason not to bring him in after a ridiculously quiet past few months.

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