The Toronto Blue Jays could already be preparing for life without Bo Bichette.
Bichette has been the Blue Jays’ franchise shortstop for years, but he’s a pending free agent. The star shortstop has been meeting with teams, and reportedly had a good meeting with the Boston Red Sox.
With Bichette able to sign elsewhere, Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that the team is planning for Andres Gimenez to play shortstop next season.
“Andres Gimenez is preparing to play shortstop for now, but could switch to second base if needed, and either way the Blue Jays expect to assign him one position for the 2026 season,” Nicholson-Smith wrote.
Gimenez did play shortstop in the World Series, and Bichette played second base, which could be the plan even if Toronto re-signs Bichette. However, it is likely that Bichette wants to remain at shortstop, where he can maximize his value.
As for Gimenez, it does make sense for the Blue Jays to have him be ready to play shortstop. His bat profiles more as a shortstop, as second basemen usually have a better bat. But, Gimenez is one of, if not the best, defensive infielders in all of baseball.
Blue Jays GM Keeping Cards Close to His Vest
Toronto has been linked to Kyle Tucker and/or bringing back Bichette as the Blue Jays are looking to add a bat.
As the Winter Meetings have begun, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was asked about Bichette and had some praise for him.
“He’s a great player. Incredible impact on this organization. We wouldn’t be having this discussion about that momentum without him,” Atkins said. “Not just this year, but over the last 10.”
As for whether or not Toronto will re-sign Bichette, Atkins wouldn’t divulge too much into it, but he has said they will remain in his market.
But, the Blue Jays could also have other options as Atkins admits players are more inclined to sign in Toronto after their World Series run.
“There’s been a trajectory. It started before I was here, where it’s such an impressive market, impressive city, impressive nation and an exciting brand of baseball,” Atkins said. “Over time, lots of people — most importantly, ownership — have poured resources into the Toronto Blue Jays. Over time, it’s become more attractive. When you take the body of work and put it on the biggest stage of baseball, then there’s more attention and that turns into momentum.”
Gimenez Thrived at Shortstop
When Bichette went down with a knee injury, Gimenez slid to shortstop and had a lot of success.
Gimenez admitted that going to shortstop was a bit uncomfortable, but it was something he was happy to do.
“Something that I’ve learned is it’s good to be out of your comfort zone and more important for me is helping the team, because it gives Schneider more flexibility in the lineup and the matchups,” Gimenez said back in September. “I’m happy to be helping the team in this way.”
Former Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt, meanwhile, praised Gimenez for his work at shortstop.
“I trust him at any position. He’s a Platinum Glover. So I’m not too concerned where he is in the infield. I just want him in the infield,” said Bassitt. “We’re really blessed to have not just him, but Ernie’s unbelievable, Vladdy’s obviously really good, too. We’re blessed with a really good infield.”
Gimenez is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner.
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