The Toronto Blue Jays' long-term plan looks awfully muddled at the moment.
It's not as though the Blue Jays aren't willing to spend money to field a roster worthy of World Series contention. But their roster is already expensive, not only in 2025, but for many years to come. And that doesn't mean the roster looks ready to contend.
Meanwhile, with expensive deals on the books for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, and George Springer, among others, the Blue Jays have to decide whether or not it makes sense to bring back two-time All-Star Bo Bichette in free agency.
Bichette, 27, is coming off a shocking down year, but he's mostly righted himself in 2025. How well he performs for the rest of the year could determine how much the Blue Jays want him back--and the caliber of teams attempting to lure him away.
On Wednesday, insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic named one potential suitor who the Blue Jays likely wouldn't want to see as competition for Bichette's services--the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"(Bichette will) need to pick it up some and get back to his 2021-23 form if he wants to get paid at that value, which is probably close to the six-year, $171 million offer that (Alex) Bregman received from the Tigers last offseason," Bowden wrote.
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"Bichette might have to be willing to move to third base for certain interested teams like the Tigers, Yankees or Dodgers, but he should have a strong market if he plays at his accustomed level this season."
Blue Jays fans remember all too well when they were spurned for Shohei Ohtani's services in favor of the Dodgers. They'd likely have a better shot with Bichette, given the familiarity, but only if the dollar amounts are equal.
There's a lot resting on Bichette's performance the rest of the year. That doesn't just apply to his free agency, but the Blue Jays' playoff hopes as well.
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