Bo Bichette's Top 3 Suitors in Free Agency

It's not something that Toronto Blue Jays fans want to think about right now, but Bo Bichette—if he's able to return this season—could be in his final few weeks as a Blue Jay. The pending free agent will be in huge demand this offseason, and although he will only state the company line that he loves playing with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and would love to stay with him in Toronto, we know that money could get in the way of that.

Some pundits suggest Bichette's big comeback season in 2025 could be parlayed into a massive nine-figure contract this offseason that could start with a '2', or even a '3'.

With that, let's have an early look at Bo's top suitors in free agency.

Atlanta Braves

Ha-Seong Kim was a brilliant under-the-radar signing by Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos back on Sept. 1st. He was let go by the Tampa Bay Rays, but is a former Gold Glover and could establish himself as the Braves shortstop going forward. But here's the catch: Kim owns a player option for $16 million for next season. If he declines it, he becomes a free agent. He's off to a rousing start with the Braves, batting .327 with eight RBIs in 15 games. Could he use that performance to take his talents to market?

And even if he doesn't, Anthopoulos could be enticed by the thought of snagging Bichette from the team that did him dirty when they unnecessarily pushed him out 10 years ago. Shortstop has been a big trouble spot for the Braves since they lost Dansby Swanson three years back.

Detroit Tigers

"The Tigers make a lot of sense to me," said Mark Feinsand of mlb.com. "A young, up-and-coming team with payroll flexibility, a terrific manager and a division that should be winnable for the foreseeable future.

"They’ve tried to spend money recently, and even though they’re going to have to give Tarik Skubal a big bag of cash soon, there’s plenty of payroll flexibility to sign Bichette if they choose to make a run at him."

And don't forget, lineup-wise, they have a great need for a star shortstop.

Toronto Blue Jays

Yes, of course the Jays have a good shot at re-signing him.

The one thing, as we noted above, that will likely decide this sweepstakes more than anything, as it usually does in these things, is money. After watching the franchise cave in to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s outrageous demands earlier this year and give him a half-a-BILLION dollar deal, it certainly wouldn't be out of character for Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins to be lured in once again to pay far over market value to keep their guy.

But first things first for the Jays and Bichette. With the news that he's now at least hitting off a tee, they're still hoping against hope that he recovers enough from his sprained knee to get him back in the lineup in time for the playoffs.