TORONTO — Bo Bichette has declined his qualifying offer from the Blue Jays, a long-expected formality from one of the top free agents in baseball.

The one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer was never considered an option for Bichette, who now hits the open market at 27 years old after an impressive bounceback season and his three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series.

If Bichette signs with another organization, the Blue Jays will receive Draft compensation. That would hardly take the edge off a loss like Bichette, who will remain one of their top priorities this offseason.

For what it’s worth, Bichette has said for years that he wants to play the rest of his career in Toronto, chasing championships with his longtime friend and co-star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Money talks and money almost always wins, but given the decade-long relationship between Bichette and this organization, the Blue Jays could hold a valuable tiebreaker here.

“I said I’ve wanted to be here from the beginning,” Bichette said again after the Game 7 loss.

The Blue Jays won’t say much out loud, but there’s no mystery here. They want Bichette back.

It’s still stunning, in the wake of the Blue Jays’ Game 7 loss in 11 innings, that we are not talking about Bichette’s home run as one of the biggest moments in this franchise’s history. In time, we’ll be able to properly frame it, but that heartbreaking loss took the shine off what should have been a career-defining moment for Bichette, who came back from a left knee injury to play in the World Series after seven weeks on the shelf, taking on a new position in the process.

“A great player,” general manager Ross Atkins said at the GM Meetings. “Bo has been a significant part of us being in a strong position today. He’s a reason that we’re coming off of five solid seasons of baseball and one really, really good year of baseball. He’s had a lot to do with it. I know he’s going to be attractive to the market, and we’ll be in his market.”

For all the reasons the Blue Jays love Bichette, other teams are interested, too.

The biggest variable with Bichette’s free agency is his position. While some clubs view him as a shortstop and the Blue Jays remain open to him at that position, other clubs will be more attracted to him as a second or third baseman. Bichette’s defense has never been his calling card, and his baserunning has declined. But this is a rare talent offensively, a middle infielder who can bat in the middle of almost any lineup.

Because of this, expect there to be an extremely wide range in how Bichette is valued, which could cause his market to drag on. But he still belongs at the very top of any free-agent discussion, especially surrounding Toronto. The qualifying offer was never going to be a factor, but Bichette has always wanted to stick around, and the Blue Jays — at the right price — want the same.