Bye-Bye Bo

[Leo Morgenstern]

On March 27, the Blue Jays will take the field for Opening Day 2026. They'll do so as the reigning American League champions for the first time in 32 years. But they'll do it without Bo Bichette for the first time since 2019.  

Here's what Toronto's Opening Day lineup looked like the last time Bichette wasn't a part of it: 

1. Brandon Drury, 3B
2. Randal Grichuk, RF
3. Teoscar Hernández, LF
4. Justin Smoak, 1B
5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., 2B
6. Kevin Pillar, CF
7. Rowdy Tellez, DH
8. Danny Jansen, C
9. Freddy Galvis, SS

Charlie Montoyo was the newly-appointed manager. Marcus Stroman was the starting pitcher. A new era of Blue Jays baseball was on the horizon, but it hadn't started yet. It wouldn't begin until two kids named Vladdy and Bo debuted later that year. 

The Blue Jays signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as an international free agent in 2015. They drafted Bichette the next summer. The two young hitters, both the sons of MLB All-Stars, played together on the left side of the infield at every level of the minors. By the end of the 2017 season, the consensus was clear: Guerrero and Bichette were the Blue Jays' two top prospects, and two of the most highly-regarded youngsters in the minor leagues. 

It couldn't have been easy for Bichette to play in his teammate's shadow. Guerrero joined the organization earlier. He was always the higher-ranked prospect. He got the call to Triple-A and MLB first. His dad wasn't just an All-Star and a Silver Slugger winner; he was a Hall of Famer. It was always Vladdy and Bo, never Bo and Vladdy.  

Yet, it was Bichette who had the stronger rookie season. He reached base safely in each of his first 17 games, which included an MLB-record nine game doubling streak. In 2020, he outhit Guerrero again, albeit in a limited sample. 

It was in 2021 that they both became stars. In July, they played together on the All-Star team. At season's end, Guerrero was the MLB home run king, while Bichette led the AL in hits. Ultimately, it was Vladdy's year to shine; Guerrero finished runner-up for AL MVP, while Bichette earned some down-ballot votes and finished 12th. In each of the next two years, however, Bichette was arguably the better player, finishing ahead of Guerrero in FanGraphs WAR and MVP voting.

You could say that Vladdy was the face of Blue Jays baseball in the 2020s (and he certainly is now), but really, for the last five years, Guerrero and Bichette were the faces of the team together. They were one of baseball's most fruitful partnerships. At risk of stating the obvious, it's sad to see that come to an end.

Two months ago, I thought I was playing devil's advocate when I suggested that the Blue Jays shouldn't prioritize re-signing Bichette. I thought for sure his name was at the top of Ross Atkins's list. I knew there was an argument for making other moves – heck, I made that argument – but at the same time, I didn't really believe things would change. Or maybe I just didn't want to.

Then the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to the kind of contract Bichette was hoping to land. And the Kyle Tucker rumors started to percolate. And the Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto. Eventually, I started to realize Bichette wasn't coming back. Yet, it wasn't until yesterday that it really sank in. 

I understand it. I get why the Jays weren't going to beat the Phillies' reported seven-year, $200 million offer. I get why they didn't beat the Mets' winning bid of three years and $126 million. That doesn't mean I'm going to miss Bichette any less. 

All that's left to say is bye-bye, Bo. Can't wait to cheer for you, and then beat you, when you come back in June. Thanks for the memories – especially this one.

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