Bo Bichette has declined a qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays, meaning the major-league veteran of seven seasons will opt to choose his next deal from what he is offered on the open market.
Bichette, 27, has played with the Blue Jays for his entire career to date — and he could still return to play for Toronto, though the ballclub will have to compete against any other interested teams to secure his services for next year and beyond.
Qualifying offers are extended to certain eligible players entering free agency, as a method of ensuring teams receive draft-pick compensation should those players sign with a new team. Tuesday was the deadline for players to decide on whether to accept.
This year, Bichette was among nine players to decline qualifying offers from teams. Four major leaguers accepted such offers, which, for the 2026 season, were set at $22,025,000 US — a figure derived from the mean salary of the 125 best-paid players in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The four ballplayers to accept qualifying offers were starting pitcher Shota Imanaga of the Chicago Cubs; Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres; Milwaukee Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff; and New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham.
Along with Bichette, the MLB players who rejected qualifying offers were Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and his teammate, starter Ranger Suárez; San Diego Padres starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King; New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz; Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen; and Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez.
World Series return
Bichette had a strong regular season with the Blue Jays, but a knee injury took him off the field for the final weeks of the pennant race.
He missed the Blue Jays’ first two rounds of the playoffs, but rejoined the Toronto roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto fought hard in a seven-game series that saw L.A. emerge victorious in a dramatic Game 7 that went to extra innings.
Bichette hit a home run off two-way Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of Game 7, which gave Toronto a 3-0 lead that L.A. then chipped away at over the course of the game.
Miguel Rojas hit a ninth-inning, game-tying home run for L.A. that pushed the game to extra innings, before the Blue Jays fell 5-4 to the Dodgers in the 11th, making Los Angeles the repeat MLB champs.
Across the seven-game World Series, Bichette hit .348, with eight hits, four walks, six RBIs and two runs scored.
Pressure on Toronto
With Toronto getting so close to winning it all, the Blue Jays organization is under pressure to try to make a return appearance in the Fall Classic next year — a difficult feat for any team, no matter how talented, to achieve.
Bichette is one of a handful of Blue Jays who are free agents at the moment, but the hot-hitting infielder is seemingly the top priority for Toronto this off-season.
Starting pitchers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer are also free agents, as are infielders Ty France, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and reliever Seranthony Domínguez.
Across the league, few free agents have signed notable deals in the early part of this off-season.
One exception is Canadian Josh Naylor, who has agreed to a five-year deal worth $92.5 million US to stick with the Seattle Mariners.
