How the Blue Jays Can Replace Bo Bichette If He Signs Elsewhere

I love Bo Bichette. Honestly, how could you not? It's hard to have been a Blue Jays fan over the past five-plus seasons and not appreciate everything he has done on the field. Just a quick look at his Baseball Reference page will tell you all you need to know. Since his debut in 2019, Bichette has been a two-time All-Star, accumulated 21 bWAR, and twice has led the league in hits. He’s top ten in Win Probability Added and Offensive WAR.

Off the field, Bo has been just as valuable. He’s used his status and platform to help fund a new baseball stadium, provide equipment and gear, and cover other costs for youth baseball in Florida, and in February 2023, he brought teammates to his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, to support the “Play Ball” program to bring baseball to underserved communities.

Bichette has always been soft-spoken, a man of few words, and usually tends to avoid the spotlight, but no matter how much he tries, the spotlight is going to find him this winter.

He enters free agency as a 28-year-old with a lot of big league success already, and is certainly set up for a massive payday. Whether or not that payday comes from the Blue Jays will be a different story.

Bo has expressed interest in returning to Toronto, and Ross Atkins has mentioned the Jays will be in Bichette’s market, but, as with anything in sports, especially baseball, there are no guarantees. Until he’s signed his name on the dotted line, the Blue Jays need to think about a backup plan, just in case their star shortstop signs elsewhere.

Now, let’s be clear, I want Bo Bichette back in Toronto. There is something incredibly poetic about a star who is drafted by, developed by and performs for one team throughout their entire career, and while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on pace to be the first player to do that as a Blue Jay, the plan was always for Bo and Vlad to do it together, to lead Toronto to World Series glory. That was something we all hoped for in the summer of 2018, when we were checking in on New Hampshire Fisher Cats box scores to see what our young future superstars were doing. But should that poem not be written, and Bichette does leave Toronto, here are five options the Blue Jays have when it comes to replacing him on the roster.

1 -  Add a New Shortstop
Let's be clear, if the Blue Jays go this route, there isn’t an option available that is as attractive as Bo Bichette at the shortstop position. Based on the 2026 Steamer WAR projections, the next best options are Ha-Seong Kim, Willi Castro, and Miguel Rojas. Kim makes the most sense out of the three, as he’s a plus defender and already has a 4+ WAR season under his belt, but the bat isn’t on the same level as Bichette’s, so the Jays would need to add another bat elsewhere.

On the trade market, it's hard to find a match. Most teams that have star shortstops don't seem likely to trade them. Only J.P. Crawford and, to a lesser extent, Gavin Lux are shortstops of note who have one year remaining on their contract. Maybe it's worth a check in on the Nationals to see what’s happening with CJ Abrams or the Marlins with Xavier Edwards, but none of these moves seems likely, and odds are this won't be the route the Blue Jays go if/when they have to replace Bichette.

2 - Add a Second Baseman and Move Giménez to Shortstop Full-Time
Even if the Blue Jays do sign Bichette, this seems like a realistic maneuver for the Blue Jays anyway. Bichette was willing to play second in the World Series, and Andrés Giménez is stellar at the shortstop position. If Bichette and Giménez both agree to it, it seems like it could work.

In terms of other players to fill the second base void, the top free agents at the position are Gleyber Torres, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Arraez. Arraez is a bat-to-ball master, but the defence is atrocious (-35 outs above average, -27 fielding run value in his career at second), so as much as the Jays value contact, this may not be a fit. The other two could make sense if the Jays go this route.

3 - Add a Third Baseman and Use Clement at 2B, Giménez at SS
This seems like the most likely move out of the three so far. After Bichette’s injury in September, Ernie Clement played 2B in 13 of the 19 remaining games, as well as six more in the ALDS and ALCS, and although his Gold Glove-calibre defence is valuable anywhere, having him up the middle certainly will help. Davis Schneider could also stand in at second if needed as well.

This would open up the option for the Blue Jays to add an impact bat at the third base spot, and the options here become much more attractive, Alex Bregman could reunite with his old teammate George Springer and play at the hot corner here, while Eugenio Suarez just hit 49 home runs across two teams last year. Maybe a trade offer for the Twins’ Royce Lewis might make some sense as he enters his final year of team control. Replacing Bichette’s bat won't be easy, but this would give the Jays a fighting chance at doing so.

4 - Add an Outfielder and Use Clement/Barger/Giménez at 2B/3B/SS
This is where the Blue Jays' flexibility comes in handy, as they really have too many players for not enough spots. Addison Barger has shown that he can play third base, which is important as right field/DH will likely be filled by Springer and Anthony Santander. Getting Barger's bat into the lineup at third base instantly makes the team better.

But the Jays are always looking to add talent, and they could choose to improve on the Davis Schneider/Nathan Lukes platoon they used last season. Earlier this week, we took a look at some of the top free agent outfield options and whether they would fit in Toronto. And yes, Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, or Kyle Schwarber would instantly make the team better. In fact, those three players were the only position player free agents who had a higher fWAR than Bichette in 2025, so don't be surprised if the Blue Jays look this way if Bichette does not return.

5 - Stick With the Internal Position Player Options and Go Hard on Pitching Instead
If the Blue Jays were to report to camp tomorrow with the players currently on the roster, they’d honestly be okay. Yes, losing Bichette would hurt, but aside from him, Ty France, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Blue Jays are bringing most of the lineup back, and they don’t necessarily have to add another bat. In this scenario, the Blue Jays can do what they’ve been really good at over the last few winters, and that's sign free agent pitchers.

Right now, The rotation has Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, and Shane Bieber as locks, but Yesavage just had a massive increase in innings pitched, Bieber is still on his way back from Tommy John surgery, and both Gausman and Berríos have a ton of career innings under their belts and are on the wrong side of 30. This could be the perfect time to go “all-in” on pitching, by throwing some money at Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, or Ranger Suárez. They could also check in with the Marlins on Sandy Alcantara, the Twins on Joe Ryan, the Brewers on Freddy Peralta, or the Nationals on MacKenzie Gore. And maybe they call the Tigers about Tarik Skubal, just in case.

There are quite a few free agent relievers available on the market (Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, Devin Williams, and others). The Jays could sign one or two of those arms and try to go all in on run prevention. It's a recipe that has worked in the past, and if pitching and defence wins championships, then the Blue Jays will be well on their way.

Ultimately, I hope this isn’t a path the Blue Jays have to explore. If everything goes well this offseason, Bo Bichette will be back in Toronto, and hopefully, some reinforcements will come along with him. But just in case things don’t work out in our favour, the sky is not falling, and the Blue Jays have plenty of alternative options as they try to get back to the Fall Classic and, this time, be on the right side of history.