The Toronto Blue Jays have spent the early offseason acting like a team that believes its World Series window is wide open. And according to CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder, none of the club’s recent big-ticket pitching moves have closed the door on bringing back All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette, even if public rumors around the franchise cornerstone have gone surprisingly quiet.
As Snyder notes, Toronto entered the winter determined to upgrade its rotation after coming a game short of the 2025 title. The front office wasted no time locking up Dylan Cease on a massive seven-year, $210 million deal—one of the largest pitching contracts in franchise history. They followed that by taking a creative swing on KBO MVP Cody Ponce, signing the former Pirate to a three-year, $30 million contract to return to MLB as a mid-rotation weapon.
Yet with all the fireworks on the pitching side, the biggest internal question of the offseason lingers: What happens with Bichette?
Bichette’s Value Has Never Been Higher
The 27-year-old is more than just a homegrown All-Star—he’s been the face of Toronto’s offensive identity since debuting in 2019. Last season, Bichette hit .311 with a 129 OPS+, piling up 181 hits and 44 doubles despite a knee injury that ultimately cost him the ALDS and ALCS. And when the stakes rose, he rose with them. Bichette played all seven World Series games on a compromised knee and still hit .348 with six RBI. It was the kind of performance that only solidifies his status as a franchise anchor.
Normally, a player of that résumé would generate nonstop rumor mill buzz. Instead, the Bichette market has been quiet—almost too quiet. The only public indication came a month ago at the GM Meetings, where Toronto signaled interest in retaining him. Since then? Silence. Snyder argues that silence shouldn’t be misinterpreted. Free-agent markets often stall until after the Winter Meetings, and Toronto’s lack of leaks doesn’t equate to a lack of action.
What it does show is that the Blue Jays have multiple pathways to constructing their 2026 infield, even without Bichette.
The Jays Can Make the Money Work
Toronto’s depth options—Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez, Addison Barger, and Davis Schneider—give them positional flexibility. But as Snyder emphasizes, roster flexibility doesn’t negate Bichette’s importance, nor does it mean the club is turning the page.
The financial picture supports that point. After signing Cease and Ponce, Cot’s Contracts projects the Blue Jays at around $271 million for their luxury-tax payroll—already above the threshold but still shy of last year’s franchise-record $278 million. A deep playoff run brought in significant revenue, meaning ownership can justify another major expenditure. And even if things get tight on paper, Toronto has mechanisms:
- Backloading a Bichette deal
- Deferring money, a strategy increasingly common among contenders
- Leveraging a future payroll that thins out meaningfully after 2027
In other words: the pitching splurge doesn’t block a Bichette reunion. Toronto still has avenues to bring back its star, and Snyder makes clear that the club knows it.
But none of that guarantees a deal. It simply means the runway is there. With the Winter Meetings approaching, the market for the top remaining hitters is about to accelerate. And Bichette, quiet as his offseason has been, sits firmly near the top of that list.
Ultimately, as Snyder puts it: patience is the key. Toronto isn’t out, other suitors aren’t in, and the biggest decision of the Blue Jays’ offseason may still be the one they’ve yet to make.
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