The Bo Bichette-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era in Toronto shouldn't end just yet

Bichette and Guerrero have spent their entire careers together thus far, entering the big leagues in 2019 after coming up through the minor leagues. It’s possible that Saturday night’s game was their last as teammates, though if the Blue Jays make the smart decision, their partnership will continue for years to come. 

Toronto needs to re-sign Bo Bichette

Will Bo Bichette stay, or will he go? This will be the major talking point around the Blue Jays in the coming weeks and months. Injury issues and a down 2024 season forced Ross Atkins and company to let Bichette play out his contract year to prove he’s still the same guy who was an All-Star in 2021 and 2023.

The 27-year-old took that as motivation and ran with it, slugging .311 with 181 hits, 18 HRs and 94 RBI in just 139 games. Despite missing the majority of September with a knee ailment, he still finished in a tie for second in MLB in hits, demonstrating just how dominant he was from April through August. 

Another injury, given his history, is concerning, but we saw it in the World Series; even at far less than 100 percent, Bichette’s bat is invaluable. Toronto managed to get through the ALDS and ALCS without him, but it won’t be nearly as easy to do that throughout a full 162-game season. The Blue Jays wouldn’t have won the AL East or had such regular-season success in the first place without Bichette.

Not only does he rack up hits and drive in runs, but Bichette also protects everyone else in the lineup, particularly Guerrero, given that they stack up back-to-back in the order. His baserunning and defensive struggles have to be considered, but with Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement both capable of playing excellent shortstop, moving Bichette to second base could be the perfect move. This not only masks his deficiencies but also preserves his body, keeping his lethal bat available more often.

Bichette is not a perfect player, but very few are. His strengths that put him amongst the best in baseball are what the Blue Jays need, so they have to find a way to keep him.