The Blue Jays could land Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger and move Andrés Giménez to shortstop to replace Bo Bichette.
Bringing Bo Bichette back was the chief offseason target for the Toronto Blue Jays after coming within a whisker of winning the World Series. Instead, they added Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to their vaunted starting rotation in a couple of early winter signings. Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, the two top position players of this free agency, are still up for grabs.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes the Blue Jays need a power bat to bolster their lineup after strengthening their pitching staff. While Bichette makes sense from a sentimental perspective, bringing in Tucker or Bellinger would easily fill that void. Moving Andrés Giménez to shortstop for the long haul will fix the conundrum on the defensive end.
“Their biggest need right now is another bat. The obvious answer would be to bring back shortstop Bo Bichette,” Kelly wrote on Friday. “If not Bichette, the Blue Jays could pivot to Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, or another free agent and have Andrés Giménez play shortstop on a full-time basis in 2026.”
Bichette had a superb 2025 campaign, posting a .311/.357/.483 slash line with 65 extra-base hits and a 129 OPS+. However, the 27-year-old limped off with a knee injury in early September, and Giménez took over the shortstop role for the Blue Jays. He returned in time for the World Series but started as the second baseman of the team.
Bo Bichette Red Sox’s Choice For Alex Bregman Alternative
“Retaining free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman is a priority for the Boston Red Sox. But some with the club view Bo Bichette, previously a division rival with the Toronto Blue Jays, as an intriguing alternative,” Sammon and Rosenthal reported.
On Friday, Mark Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic stated that Bo Bichette may be the alternative for the Boston Red Sox if they do not re-sign Alex Bregman this winter. Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal but opted out of his contract after just one season.
Craig Breslow, Red Sox chief of baseball operations, has already offered his support to keep Trevor Story at shortstop next year. Therefore, Bichette will have to contend with playing on the right side of the infield. Nevertheless, it adds a little more edge to his negotiations with the Blue Jays.
