Farewell, Bo Bichette

Career between 2020 and 2023

Even though Bichette’s sophomore year began on a shortened pandemic season and was even further marred by a knee injury, he still proved to be a productive hitter as he slashed .301/.328/.512 in 128 plate appearances. He also got his first taste of the playoff stage that season, though the Tampa Bay Rays swept Toronto in the AL Wild Card series.

The Floridian continued to blossom into a productive hitter as he slashed .298/.343/.484 with 29 home runs in 690 plate appearances in 2021 and .290/.333/.469 with 24 home runs in 697 plate appearances in 2022. These were also when Bichette recorded his highest career WARs with 4.9 WAR and 4.8 WAR in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In addition, he recorded the most hits in the American League (AL) in those two seasons (191 hits in 2021 and 189 hits in 2022).  As a team, the Blue Jays failed to make it to the playoffs by one win during the 2021 season and were swept by the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card series in 2022, but Bichette’s consistent contribution as a top-of-the-order hitter was part of what propelled Toronto into the potential contention picture.

Bichette maintained his status as a fearsome hitter in 2023 as well, with a slash line of .306/.339/.475 with 20 home runs in 601 plate appearances. The infielder ranked third in BA, fourth in hits and 16th in OPS in the AL, winning the Blue Jays MVP award that year.

In this stretch of his career, Bichette earned the All-Star recognition twice in 2021 and 2023 and solidified himself as one of the established hitters for the Blue Jays and the league.

Rebound

The young shortstop was desperate for redemption after undergoing one of the toughest slumps in his career. During the 2024 season, his slash line dropped to meagre .225/.277/.322 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 336 plate appearances. His injuries didn’t help his case, but he needed to turn things around in 2025 to enter his free agency on a right note.

Turns out, the 2025 season was exactly what Bichette needed to change his narrative.

He became a more-than-effective hitter and the designated RBI machine for the contact-heavy Blue Jays roster. The infielder slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs, which was a much closer number to his career-highs between 2021 and 2023.

Although the shortstop got injured towards the end of the 2025 regular season, which put him out for most of the incredible playoff run, Bichette still came through as a second baseman and hitter at the World Series stage. Despite his injury and lack of experience at second base, he managed to make good, run-saving defensive plays.

In Game 7 of the World Series, Bichette hit a three-run home run against Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the bottom of the third to position the Blue Jays, giving the team a fighting chance to win it all. The Blue Jays may not have won the World Series, but Bichette’s three-run home run became an epitome of his tenure in Toronto.

Hitting wonder and leader

The 27-year-old always had a great bat with his excellent hand-eye coordination. Throughout his career with the Blue Jays, the shortstop slashed .294/.337/.469 and hit 111 home runs in 748 games, which translated to 20.0 WAR in total. Bichette was one of the most valuable hitters on the Blue Jays’ roster, even with his hyper-aggressive style in the box.

Bichette ended his 2025 season with the Blue Jays with the fifth most WAR on the roster and with the second most plate appearances (628), only after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Even in his brief postseason appearance last year, Bichette slashed .348/.444/.478 with six RBIs and one home run (perhaps his career-defining home run), proving his value as a hitter who can bring in runs in a few swings. Overall, Bichette had a .312 BA, 14 hits, seven RBIs and one home run in 13 postseason games between 2020 and 2025.

According to MLB.com, Bichette ranks fourth in BA (.294), 10th in OPS (.806), 15th in RBIs (437), 16th in hits (904) and 22nd in home runs (111) among all Blue Jays’ players since 1977. Even in what feels like a short tenure with the Blue Jays, Bichette climbed up among Toronto’s legends like Tony Fernandez and George Bell as one of the better hitters on the team and league.

Bo Bichette’s time with the Blue Jays may be history, but there’s no denying that his time and service transformed Toronto’s baseball landscape altogether.

So long, old friend.