With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seemingly a Blue Jay for life, attention has turned to shortstop Bo Bichette.
Jays general manager Ross Atkins said last week that it is the organization’s “vision” for Bichette and Guerrero to “continue to play together.” If Bichette doesn’t re-sign with the Jays, he could be one of the more attractive names in a free-agent class this winter thatthe Star’s Gregor Chisholm recentlysuggested could be weak in comparison to years past.
The challenge for the Jays and Bichette will be determining the value and term of a potential extension.
Slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and members of the pc28Blue Jays' front office held a celebratory news conference Monday after the two sides agreed to a contract extension last week worth a franchise record US$500 million. The deal secures the services of the team's homegrown superstar through the 2039 season. (April 14, 2025 / The Canadian Press)
What isBichette worth?
Wins above replacement, which attempts to measure a player’s value relative to a hypothetical replacement-level player, is one across-the-board metric that MLB teams use.
each win above replacement is worth roughly $8.5 million (U.S.). A player who consistently puts up 4.0 WAR, for example, should in theory be paid $34 million per season.
While this calculation isn’t reflected exactly — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has averaged 8.0 WAR since 2021, but is earning $40 million a year — it can be a useful baseline for estimates.
Guests: Blue Jays icons Pat Hentgen and Vernon Wells
Guests: Blue Jays icons Pat Hentgen and Vernon Wells
Bichette had WARs of 5.9, 3.7 and 4.8 in the three seasons in which he played more than 130 games, an average of 4.3. But he has been inconsistent at shortstop at times and is coming off a season interrupted by injury in which he hit just .225 with four homers and 31 RBIs. He may need this season to show he can remain an impact player.
After a two-hit game Wednesday, Bichette is hitting .305 through 19 games with eight doubles and 11 RBIs. though he is still looking for his first homer.
What did other shortstops get?
A number of big-name shortstops have signed lucrative deals in recent years: Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million with the Mets), Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million with San Diego, where is now an outfielder), Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million with Texas), Trea Turner (11 years, $300million with Philadelphia) and Bobby Witt Jr. (11 years, $288.7 million plus options with Kansas City).
The next tier includes Willy Adames (seven years, $182 million with San Francisco), Trevor Story (six years, $140 million with Boston) and Javier Báez (six years, $140 million with Detroit).
The best Bichette comparable?
Tatis may be the closest, although he hasn’t played shortstop regularly since 2021. Tatis had much less major-league experience at the time than Bichette has today, but he was extended rather than hitting the open market like Turner, Seager, Adames, Story and Báez.
As a hitter, Bichette is far more similar to Turner and Adames through their age-26 seasons, per Baseball Reference’s similarity scores, but they both cashed in at age 29 and had played far more. Turner had logged over 1,000 more plate appearances when he signed with the Phillies than Bichette has now, while Adames had nearly 900 more.
The payroll factor
After long-term deals with Guerrero (14 years, $500 million) and Alejandro Kirk (five years, $58 million), the Jays have a handful of players on the books past the 2026 season, .
George Springer ($22.5 million per year), Kevin Gausman ($23 million) and Yimi García ($7.5 million) are eligible for free agency after next season, while Chris Bassitt ($21 million), Chad Green ($9 million) and Max Scherzer ($15.5 million) are up at the end of this season. Nick Sandlin and Ernie Clement are arbitration eligible.
Jeff Hoffman ($33 million total until 2027), Andrés Giménez ($106.5 million until 2029, option for 2030), José Berríos ($131 million until 2028, potential opt-out after 2026) and Anthony Santander ($92.5 million until 2029, option for 2030) have long-term deals.
ThoughBerríos andGiménezget more expensive each year,,And the team could also have significant flexibility beyond 2026 if Bassitt, Springer, Gausman and other pending free agents don’t re-sign.
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