Bichette says he's had no talks with Jays on extension
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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette said Friday he and then team have not talked about a contract extension that would keep him in Toronto long-term.
Bichette and star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are each entering their final season of club control and will hit free agency next winter unless extended.
“No, we haven’t had any talks,” Bichette said Friday in Dunedin, Fla., via MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, “but from my perspective, we all grow up wanting to be one of those guys that has an opportunity to stay with an organization for their entire career. I’m just focused on what I’ve got to do this year to help the team win and be the best version of myself. Whatever happens will happen.”
“Vladdy is one of my best friends. We’ve had tons of conversations like that,” Bichette said. “We’ve talked about playing together forever since he was 18 and I was 19. That’s still a goal of ours.”
Bichette had his worst season in 2024, struggling with multiple calf injuries that limited him to just 81 games. He hit a career-low .225 and had a .598 OPS with just four home runs and 31 RBI, a puzzling drop-off from his usual consistent self that had seen him hit at least .290 every year since debuting with Toronto in 2019.
Bichette was an All-Star in 2023 and had reached the 20-homer mark in three consecutive seasons before last year.
“Bo. ... You guys will see Bo,” manager John Schneider told reporters Thursday. “Bo looks like Bo, which is really, really refreshing. We’re talking about adding a bat and adding [another] bat, but we kind of operated without one of our best bats last year in Bo. Having him back is going to be big.”
Much of the off-season focus has been the contract situation of Guerrero, who will likely become the top free agent available next winter if no deal is reached before then. Guerrero said earlier in the off-season he did not intend to negotiate an extension after he begins spring training. The Blue Jays' first full-squad workout is scheduled for Tuesday, seemingly giving the Jays until then to get a deal done.