Insider Drops Big Update on Bo Bichette Free Agency

The pressure on the Toronto Blue Jays to figure out their status in regards to Bo Bichette has just been ramped up. Top baseball insider Jon Heyman has informed us that the New York Yankees have officially "checked in" on the star free agent infielder.

Yankees have checked in on free agent infielder Bo Bichette, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/7hSqdAMYeh
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) January 1, 2026

We speculated on seven potential serious suitors for Bichette earlier this week, and while the Yankees were listed, it was also noted that it's a challenging fit. Yanks GM Brian Cashman has said he was emphasizing run prevention, and Bichette, while a star hitter, does not help on the defensive side of the ball. His metrics at shortstop this past season were some of the worst in the majors.

Bichette came back from an injury to play second base for the Blue Jays in the World Series, and while that position should somewhat alleviate his troubles on defense, a keystone combo of Bichette and Anthony Volpe at short would not be elite, by any means. Volpe struggled in the field in 2025, with a very weak Outs Above Average, ranked in only the 8th percentile in all of baseball (i.e. 92% of shortstops were better). His arm strength was in the 33rd percentile.

Cashman has already noted this offseason that he still considers Volpe his shortstop of the present and future.

But Bichette's bat is what would really entice the Yankees. Especially if they can't work out a deal to bring back fellow free agent Cody Bellinger. They'd have to replace those 29 homers and 98 RBIs somehow.

Could Yankees trade Jazz Chisholm and sign Bo Bichette for 2B?

Making this report more intriguing, Heyman added that the Yankees are also fielding trade inquiries on their star second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. Trading Jazz and signing Bo certainly feel like interconnected storylines.

And of course, an added bonus for the Yankees in signing Bichette is that it would significantly weaken their AL East rivals, the Blue Jays (unless, of course, Toronto was able to sign Kyle Tucker).

This will be something to watch as the offseason continues to unfold.