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Grisham, Imanaga, Torres, and Woodruff are the four players who accepted the QO. All others declined.
As expected, Bo Bichette rejected the #BlueJays’ qualifying offer. If he signs elsewhere this winter, Toronto will receive a compensatory draft pick after the 2026 MLB Draft’s 4th round.
DECLINED: Bo Bichette, Dylan Cease, Edwin Diaz, Zac Gallen, Michael King, Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez
ACCEPTED: Trent Grisham, Shota Imanaga, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Woodruff
Bichette will be a hot commodity on the free agent market
Bichette is among the hottest names this winter, who, at 27 years old, is the youngest domestic free agent available.
Bichette made himself upward of nine figures with an excellent 2025, in which he hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs.
A knee injury kept him out for most of the postseason, but he returned for the World Series and hit .348/.444/.478 with a mammoth Game 7 home run.
Between his bat-to-ball skills and power, Bichette is a rare middle-infield, middle-of-the-order bat.
The questions about his defense are fair — he was among the worst shortstops in baseball this past season — but a move to second base (where, still hobbled, he played ably in the World Series) or third base is reasonable.
But teams haven’t been scared off of Bichette at shortstop, according to sources.
Beyond the Blue Jays, who have Andrés Giménez to play short but still could conceivably sign Tucker and Bichette, the Atlanta Braves and Detroit have holes at the most important position on the infield.
The Yankees could use an upgrade over Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero. The Mets aren’t inclined to replace Francisco Lindor at shortstop, but they do have room to improve at second and third, as do the Phillies.
Even if there isn’t a perfect fit for Bichette, the opportunity to land a 27-year-old infielder with a premium bat and not have to give up any prospects is rare.
The last player of Bichette’s caliber and age to hit free agency was Carlos Correa, and even after a pair of contract agreements that were invalidated because of medical questions, he received a six-year, $200 million deal from the Minnesota Twins.
Whether the contract price for Bichette stays in the range that would allow lower-payroll teams to enter the fray remains to be seen. But after the GM meetings, it’s clear there will be no shortage of opportunities for Bichette.
