Bichette, Blue Jays haven’t had extension talks
Bo Bichette is entering his final season of team control, coming off an injury-plagued 2024 that resulted in the worst year of his career by far. He says there hasn’t been any dialogue with the team about his future.
While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the potential of a long-term contract extension have drawn headlines as the Toronto Blue Jays report for spring training, he’s not the only franchise cornerstone who’s set to hit the free-agent market at the end of 2025.
Bo Bichette is entering his final season of team control, coming off an injury-plagued 2024 that resulted in the worst year of his career by far. He says there hasn’t been any dialogue with the team about his future.
“I know how the world works, it’s like what have you done for me lately,” Bichette said, per Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae. “That’s just how it goes… This off-season, I haven’t seen much [from the team], so I don’t know whether they were talking about me or not.”
Last summer, Bichette was limited to just 81 games while dealing with calf and finger injuries. He batted just .225 with a .598 OPS and four home runs — a far cry from the heights he reached in the first five seasons of his big-league career.
The 26-year-old led the American League in hits in both 2021 and 2022, earned All-Star bids in ’21 and 2023 and received down-ballot MVP votes in each of those three seasons.
Being forced to weigh the shortstop’s track record against what happened in 2024 complicates what Bichette may be worth on an extension, from both his and the Blue Jays’ perspective.
“I was told they would reach out. They haven’t yet,” Bichette said. “In the past, it’s been during spring training when they reach out to me. Obviously, Vladdy is [the] priority at this point.”
Guerrero’s negotiations, of course, have been accelerated by the slugger’s deadline for talks to end when Toronto reports for its first full-squad workout on Tuesday.
Both of the Blue Jays’ young stars have publicly stated their desire to remain with the organization long-term, something Bichette has doubled down on from Dunedin.
“From my perspective, I’m happy and content with where I’m at,” he said. “There are not many organizations that put in the effort that this one does. We’ll see.
“I’m here. I’m here to win.”
On Friday, MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson initially reported that Bichette and Toronto hadn’t had any extension conversation, sharing that the Blue Jays’ second-generation talents continue to envision playing together deep into their respective careers.
“Vladdy is one of my best friends. We’ve had tons of conversations like that,” Bichette said to Matheson. “We’ve talked about playing together forever since he was 18 and I was 19. That’s still a goal of ours.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368780724112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368780724112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6368780724112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-144397" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6368780724112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6368780724112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/blue-jays-hitters-in-for-early-swings-as-pitchers-and-catchers-report/" }); });
For the organization’s part, both general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider seem excited by the possibility of a Bichette bounceback this upcoming season.
“Bo looks like Bo, which is really, really refreshing,” Schneider said on Thursday. “You talk about adding a bat, and we operated without one of our best bats last year in Bo. Having him back is going to be big.”
Atkins, meanwhile, said, “the willingness is there” when asked about extending Bichette.
“Every situation is unique,” he continued, per Mae. “When those interactions occur, the timing of them over the course of careers is different.
“Bo’s a great player that we believe in and has had massive impact on this organization and can continue to.”
