MLB Insider predicts Bo Bichette re-signs with Blue Jays through 2029

Bo Bichette has been the Blue Jays' starting shortstop since the back half of the 2019 season, and he's generally been a very good one.

Bichette received down-ballot MVP support in each of the last three of those seasons, and twice received All-Star nods while also leading the American League in hits in both 2021 and 2022.

At this time last year, in fact, there was plenty of debate about whether Bichette or Guerrero was the better long-term investment for the Blue Jays, as Guerrero was coming off a relatively modest 118 wRC+ season in 2023 before returning to superstar form in 2024.

It should be noted that Bichette's own 2023 campaign wasn't without its warts, as knee and quad problems greatly reduced his production over the final two months of the season,

However, as he enters the final year of his Blue Jays tenure before free agency, Bichette's future has never been more in question.

Bo's coming off an injury-plagued 2024 in which he hit only .225/.277/.322 over 336 plate appearances, and played just once after July 19 due to a lengthy recovery from a right calf strain.

A previous IL placement due to another calf strain sidelined Bichette earlier in the season, plus he also had surgery on a fractured right middle finger in late September and he's been the subject of trade rumors on top of the uncertainty regarding his free-agent status.

Adding to the complication, the Blue Jays traded for former Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez in December, a Platinum Glove second baseman who has long been speculated to take over a team's shortstop job in a pinch.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted that Bichette would remain in Toronto through at least 2029, but in 2028, he would shift to second base, which makes sense given his poor defensive metrics at shortstop.

Reuter's predicted timeline begs a different question.

If the Blue Jays are eventually going to make Gimenez the shortstop and Bichette the second baseman, why wait three years to do it?

It feels like a "rip off the Band-Aid" situation that would be better to handle sooner.

First, though, the Jays need Bichette to rebound to his career norms at the plate in 2025, then make the decision to return to Toronto.

And that reunion is sure to cost a lot more than the three-year, $33 million arbitration extension the 26-year-old is currently finishing up.

SOURCE: Bleacher Report