The Toronto Blue Jays extended a qualifying offer to Bo Bichette on Thursday, meaning the star shortstop could accept a one-year contract for $22.025 million and not make his first foray into free agency.
Bichette, 27, is expected to be a huge attraction on the free agent market this winter. He completed a three-year deal valued at $33.6 million. Only 14 players have accepted a qualifying offer since the system was implemented in 2012, according to MLB.com on Thursday afternoon.
Toronto would receive draft-pick compensation if Bichette declines the offer and signs with a new team for the 2026 season. He also could re-sign with the Blue Jays to a more lucrative, multi-year deal than the qualifying offer.
The Blue Jays selected Bichette in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft and he was voted to the All-Star Game in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
He led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022. This season, he was tops in the AL with 181 hits before a left knee sprain abbreviated his regular season.
Bichette batted .311 with 18 homers, 94 RBIs in 139 regular-season games, then returned for the World Series and batted .348 with one homer and six RBIs as the Blue Jays fell to the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
He is a career .294 hitter with 111 home runs, 437 RBIs, a .337 on-base percentage and .469 slugging percentage in 748 regular-season games since making his major league debut in July 2019.
