After coming two outs short of nailing down the third World Series championship in the 48-year history of their franchise, the Toronto Blue Jays are clearly serious about making another run at a title in 2026.

With two months left to go in the offseason, Toronto’s payroll for next season already stands at $263 million, and according to the sports business site Spotrac, will reach $292.1 million before the season starts on March 27 when the Blue Jays open their campaign by hosting the Athletics.

That total, if the projection proves accurate, would put them close to joining the $300 million club, one so exclusive it had only two members in 2025 — the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Blue Jays in the World Series, and the New York Mets, who somehow failed to make the playoffs at all.

Payroll Projection Omits One Important Player

The Spotrac projection did not take into account shortstop Bo Bichette, for the simple reason that the 27-year-old three-time All-Star is now a free agent, and no longer a member of the team that drafted him with a second-round pick in 2016.

But according to a new prediction by MLB analyst Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, Bichette will be back with the Blue Jays with a contract that could gain Toronto entry into that exclusive club of ultra-high payroll teams.

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Heading Back to Toronto ‘Best Outcome’

According to Kelly, a return to the Blue Jays “always seemed to be the best outcome for Bo Bichette.” The reason? “Unfinished business.”

Presumably, Kelly was referring to Game 7 of the World Series. Bichette came close to becoming an immortal World Series hero when he ripped a three-run home run off of Dodgers two-way MVP Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the third.

The Blue Jays, tacking on another run in the sixth, made the lead hold up until the ninth inning when closer Jeff Hoffman surrendered a one-out home run to the No. 9 hitter in the Los Angeles lineup, Miguel Rojas, to tie the game. The Dodgers went on to win in 11 innings.

Kelly in his Friday analysis of Bichette’s situation predicted that he will return to the Blue Jays with a seven-year contract worth $210 million. That would pay Bichette an average of $30 million per year until he is 34 years old.

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Bichette Likely to Move Positions

One factor that may make it difficult for other teams to shell out a nine-figure deal for Bichette is the uncertainty over where on the field he will play. In 748 big league games, other than designated hitter, Bichette has never played a position other than shortstop, where he has appeared 716 times.

But the former and possibly future Blue Jays star “has minus-19 defensive runs saved and minus-32 outs above average at that position in his career,” Kelly wrote. “Even if he signs to play shortstop, he likely won’t stick at that position for the entirety of the contract. And some teams may like him more at another position, whether they have an established shortstop or not.”

The Blue Jays, as Bichette’s original organization, may be more comfortable with asking him to move around the diamond, possibly to first or second base, than a new team might be.