The Bo Bichette Thread

[greekman]

signed through 2025 "Bo Bichette signed a 3 year , $33,600,000 contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, including $3,250,000 signing bonus, $33,600,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $11,200,000. In 2024, Bichette will earn a base salary of $11,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $12,083,333."

To miss multiple weeks
July 20, 2024
An MRI on Saturday revealed Bichette's right calf strain to be moderate, and he'll miss multiple weeks due to the injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Bichette strained his calf Friday for the second time this month and was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Saturday. Further testing revealed the injury will require a multi-week absence, keeping the star shortstop sidelined into August. In his stead, Leo Jimenez should handle most of the shortstop work, though Addison Barger and Ernie Clement could mix in at the position.


Season Averages
GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS WAR
46 196 32 61 18 0 11 21 14 1 50 4 4 .311 .358 .571 .930 2.1
30 123 18 37 9 1 5 23 5 0 27 4 1 .301 .328 .512 .840 0.8
159 640 121 191 30 1 29 102 40 6 137 25 1 .298 .343 .484 .828 6.0
159 652 91 189 43 1 24 93 41 2 155 13 8 .290 .333 .469 .802 3.6
135 571 69 175 30 3 20 73 27 2 115 5 3 .306 .339 .475 .814 4.8
79 305 29 68 16 1 4 30 20 3 62 5 1 .223 .276 .321 .597 -0.3

because this is his first off season other gm's may overlook it as an outlier and risk something good in a trade. if bichette has another off season next year his value would plummet.
should atkins trade him or keep him ?

[Natural11]

I'd keep him until next year's trade deadline and then move him based on these factors:

- His current value has been lowered significantly with his 2024 performance plus injury
- Assuming he returns to previous form, he will command a large contract
- The TBJ have never been known to award mega contracts and the odds of them doing it twice the same year would seem to be low
- If there is one mega contract awarded, it has to be Vladdy
- Poor pitch selection and poor walk rate, relying on quickness and coordination to bail him out. May not age well and offers reduced value while in a slump
- Average D at 26 will turn negative before contract end

There is a risk of further decline before that point, but I think it's one worth taking

Exceptions:

- Another team is willing to pay something close to the ballpark of what his past performance would warrant
- If he has requested a trade internally or there are other clubhouse factors in play that make it preferable to move him soonest

[anj]

He's 26-years-old and led the league in hits twice in the past three years. He received MVP votes in each of the past three seasons. He has one down year during the same season that all of our players have a down year — a truly awful season to be a Jay — and you want to trade him? Do you know how rare it is to get a hitter of his quality? This place is wild.

[bluerap23]

Trading him now at his all-time low would not be wise.

[Parataxis]

If we're trading him for *good* prospects, then yes, you move him. If those trades are reflecting his value from previous seasons with the expectation that he gets back to that.

If we're trading him for *mediocre* prospects, then you keep him. Don't trade him if other teams are only looking at him as a buy low candidate.

[Cyrus]

It would be right on brand for Jays to trade a guy when his value is probably at his lowest, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him dealt in the offseason... Unless teams are giving us top prospects, that are MLB ready basically, then I don't see why you would want to move him now.

[dagger]

He ought to be back by mid-August, so let him play and if he continues to struggle, re-evaluate in the offseason. But ultimately, I'd say he goes because SS is a position of relative strength in the system, and you can replace his glove with Jimenez, and even some of his offence, and then you save a lot of dollars which can be shifted to, say, a power bat for LF.

[JTT]

There is no way to answer this, but he’s been too good for too long to trade him at the value he has now. Hopefully, he’ll be old Bo when he comes back and can re-establish some of his value for an off season deal. If not, I keep him until the next trade deadline. Hard to see how his value shrinks further.
On the other hand, if someone wants to pay even 80% of old Bo value, I take it and run.

[Mehar]

It would be right on brand for Jays to trade a guy when his value is probably at his lowest, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him dealt in the offseason... Unless teams are giving us top prospects, that are MLB ready basically, then I don't see why you would want to move him now.

I absolutely agree with this. Bo's value is at his lowest right now. I do not want to trade him right now.

[Randle McMurphy]

I want absolutely nothing to do with this guy in the organization long-term, but from a pure value perspective you obviously can't trade him when he's been one of the worst players in baseball for a calendar year now. Keep him and see what he can do in his free agency year.

I'd absolutely be taking offers for Vlad right now though.

[JTT]

signed through 2026 "Bo Bichette signed a 3 year , $33,600,000 contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, including $3,250,000 signing bonus, $33,600,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $11,200,000. In 2024, Bichette will earn a base salary of $11,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $12,083,333."

To miss multiple weeks
July 20, 2024
An MRI on Saturday revealed Bichette's right calf strain to be moderate, and he'll miss multiple weeks due to the injury, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Bichette strained his calf Friday for the second time this month and was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Saturday. Further testing revealed the injury will require a multi-week absence, keeping the star shortstop sidelined into August. In his stead, Leo Jimenez should handle most of the shortstop work, though Addison Barger and Ernie Clement could mix in at the position.


Season Averages
GP AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS WAR
46 196 32 61 18 0 11 21 14 1 50 4 4 .311 .358 .571 .930 2.1
30 123 18 37 9 1 5 23 5 0 27 4 1 .301 .328 .512 .840 0.8
159 640 121 191 30 1 29 102 40 6 137 25 1 .298 .343 .484 .828 6.0
159 652 91 189 43 1 24 93 41 2 155 13 8 .290 .333 .469 .802 3.6
135 571 69 175 30 3 20 73 27 2 115 5 3 .306 .339 .475 .814 4.8
79 305 29 68 16 1 4 30 20 3 62 5 1 .223 .276 .321 .597 -0.3

because this is his first off season other gm's may overlook it as an outlier and risk something good in a trade. if bichette has another off season next year his value would plummet.
should atkins trade him or keep him ?

Missed it at first, but Bo is only signed through 2025. He's a free agent for the 26 season.

[rarefind]

Reassess at the end of the year.

No major trades should be made by our current front office. Trade the expiring guys and call it a day.

It is completely inexcusable that Atkins is still driving the bus.

[Morris_Shatford]

I am a little out of touch with MLB Free Agency;
Lets assume you want to keep him, what does that contract potentially look like after next season?

[Harry Palmer]

The greater the asset, the greater the cost of selling low.

[JN]

OP is incorrect - Bo is only signed through 2025, not 2026.

Even if you want to trade him, it might be wiser to wait until after the year / next year and hope he ramps up his play. His trade value might then actually be higher than it is now -- traditionally you would get much more value for part of 2 seasons, rather than 1, but with Bichette's decline in 2024 that might not be the case.

The other major consideration in assessing his trade value, is that as of now in 2024 the SS position has the highest OPS of any position in MLB. Hitting at the SS position has improved greatly. So even if he was hitting at 2023 levels in 2024, his value might not be as high as before since his hitting performance over the "normal SS" is becoming less each year .

[JN]

I am a little out of touch with MLB Free Agency;
Lets assume you want to keep him, what does that contract potentially look like after next season?

If Bo Bichette has a season in 2025 that is as **** or nearly as **** as his 2024 season, he will probably have to sign a "prove my worth" contract like Cody Bellinger did prior to the 2023 season with the Cubs (1 yr / 10m).

My guess is that if he has a good season in 2025 (similar to 2023) its probably term and 25M per season. Although it could be less - As I noted in my post above, SS across baseball are hitting better than ever in 2024, so a good hitting SS (especially that one that can't field well) might not have the premium value that they once did.

[dagger]

I am a little out of touch with MLB Free Agency;
Lets assume you want to keep him, what does that contract potentially look like after next season?

If Bo Bichette has a season in 2025 that is as **** or nearly as **** as his 2024 season, he will probably have to sign a "prove my worth" contract like Cody Bellinger did prior to the 2023 season with the Cubs (1 yr / 10m).

My guess is that if he has a good season in 2025 (similar to 2023) its probably term and 25M per season. Although it could be less - As I noted in my post above, SS across baseball are hitting better than ever in 2024, so a good hitting SS (especially that one that can't field well) might not have the premium value that they once did.

Or you can roll with a lesser player at SS like Jimenez who is younger, dirt cheap, plays better D and is improving offensively, and move the money to another position, like LF, by getting a power bat in free agency. Even if Jimenez proves to be a placeholder, the Jays' organization is strongest on left-side-of-the-infield prospects at almost every level.

[Morris_Shatford]

I am a little out of touch with MLB Free Agency;
Lets assume you want to keep him, what does that contract potentially look like after next season?

If Bo Bichette has a season in 2025 that is as **** or nearly as **** as his 2024 season, he will probably have to sign a "prove my worth" contract like Cody Bellinger did prior to the 2023 season with the Cubs (1 yr / 10m).

My guess is that if he has a good season in 2025 (similar to 2023) its probably term and 25M per season. Although it could be less - As I noted in my post above, SS across baseball are hitting better than ever in 2024, so a good hitting SS (especially that one that can't field well) might not have the premium value that they once did.

Lets say worst case dollar wise around 25m - ish?
How many years do guys like this usually get?

[Harry Palmer]

If we’re ~ backing up the truck, I don’t think Bo will sit well with a rebuild. I don’t think we are, though, I think they have too much invested in paying off on all they’ve been spending, but I suppose if it’s bad enough they might concede to reality?

[C Court]

I voted keep him. Too early to give up on him.