The MLB offseason is upon us, and that means that some of the league's top players will be signing new deals in free agency, either re-upping with their existing team or leaving town for greener pastures.
DraftKings has odds posted for where Bo Bichette will land for the 2026 season, with his former team favored to retain his services.
Bo Bichette Next Team Odds, Predictions
Odds are via DraftKings.
Bo Bichette Free Agency Breakdown
Career
Bo Bichette was one of three sons of former big leaguers to headline the Blue Jays' farm system in the late 2010s, alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio. Though Vladdy was the top prospect of the three, Bichette might have had the best rookie season, slashing .311/.358/.571 in 46 games as a 21-year-old in 2019.
Given the keys to the starting shortstop role, Bichette ended up missing half of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with a knee sprain, but produced when on the field. He developed a reputation as a high-contact, low-walk hitter with big-time pop on occasion, and while his defense at short could be suspect at times, he hit well enough to silence those concerns.
From 2021 to 2023, Bichette averaged 4.5 fWAR a season, slashing .298/.339/.476 with 73 home runs and 43 steals, good for a 125 wRC+. It seemed as if he was primed for an extension, but the Blue Jays decided to hold off. And in 2024, it looked like they made the right decision.
Bichette's offense cratered in his sixth big league season; his normally high BABIP dropped to a below-average .269 from .355 the season prior, and his above-average barrel rate dropped to an abysmal 4.4%. He simply wasn't squaring balls up and making hard contact like he did, and with no plate discipline or high defensive value to speak of, he managed just 0.3 fWAR in an injury-shortened 81-game campaign.
2025 Season
Despite Bichette's name popping up in trade rumors as the Blue Jays looked to retool before the 2025 season, the team decided not to sell low on their shortstop and retain him in his walk year. The franchise shortstop rewarded them with the best full offensive season of his career, recording a 134 wRC+ on a .311/.357/.483 slash line. He would've been worth more than 3.8 fWAR with better defense at shortstop, but his -13 OAA at the position was among the worst in the sport.
The Blue Jays were faced with an interesting decision entering the ALCS. Bichette was finally ready to return from a knee injury that held him out for the last few weeks of the regular season and the ALDS, but Andrés Giménez had been excellent as a placeholder shortstop. Would they slide Giménez back to second for Bichette, or roll with the hot defensive hand when the games mattered the most?
They made the decision to DH Bichette in the ALCS, then moved him to second full-time for the World Series in order to optimize the team's defense. And although the Jays came up short of winning it all, Bichette's move to second base could end up speaking volumes about his future in the organization — and the contract he ends up with.
Top Suitors
Toronto Blue Jays
When it's all said and done, the odds that Bichette stays in Toronto are overwhelming. Toward the end of the season and after the Blue Jays' World Series loss, he expressed his desire to remain with the only franchise he'd ever known, a rare move for a free agent about to hit the open market. Not only does Bichette want to stay, but the Blue Jays seemed to have hinted at a potential fit that would keep him healthy and valuable in the long term.
Bichette's move to second base in the World Series may not, and probably should not, be temporary. Giménez isn't going anywhere, as he is under contract through at least 2029 and is the far superior defender at shortstop. So if Bichette, who routinely grades out as one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league, is willing to slide over to a less-intensive spot on the diamond, he's undoubtedly of more value to the Blue Jays.
We've seen the Blue Jays convince free agents to do this before. When they signed shortstop Marcus Semien to a one-year deal for the 2021 season, they convinced him to move to second base for Bichette, where he instantly became one of the better defenders in the league and where he remains to this day as a Texas Ranger. There's no guarantee that Bichette will become a Gold Glover at the position, but both his glove and bat will provide more value to the Blue Jays at that position.
Detroit Tigers
Per DraftKings' market, every team but the Blue Jays has pretty long odds to win Bichette's services. But out of those other teams, there's no denying that the Tigers would be a good fit if Bichette leaves Toronto.
Detroit got some pretty abysmal production at shortstop from a group made up of Trey Sweeney, Javier Báez, and Zach McKinstry. Those three slashed a combined .243/.288/.399 at the position, with the primary starter in Sweeney showing that he's not necessarily big-league ready just yet. If Bichette prioritizes remaining at shortstop, the Tigers might benefit the most from his bat, regardless of his proficiency on defense.
But if Bichette is open to a move to second base with a different team, the Tigers provide that option as well. Gleyber Torres is again a free agent after a solid season, though his defense miscues at the position are well-documented. It's no guarantee that Bichette will be a noticeably better defender than Torres over a large sample, but at the very least, the bat will be an upgrade.
New York Mets
The Mets have both money to spend and a need in the infield, though they are the suitor where shortstop is clearly the most off-limits. They of course employ Francisco Lindor, a future Hall of Famer who will go down as one of the best defensive shortstops of his era.
Still, David Stearns and the Mets' front office could shuffle the roster around so that Bichette has a fit at second base. Their most optimal route toward fixing the infield is likely adding to center field and third base, so that Jeff McNeil can play second full-time and Brett Baty could spell second and third in case of injury. But McNeil could just as easily move to third base to accommodate Bichette, whose right-handed power bat will be much needed in the somewhat likely event that the Mets move on from Pete Alonso.
Bichette in Queens is not a perfect fit, and it's not necessarily an obvious one either, but if the market is not to Bichette's liking, it would be easy for the Mets to swoop in and give him the multi-year deal, stability, and level of contention that he's looking for.
