The last 24 hours have been intense in major league baseball.
Obviously, it started with Kyle Tucker, who signed a $60 million per year contract with the Dodgers. The Mets, who had offered $55 million per season to the outfielder, did not give up and turned to Bo Bichette.
The latter, who was lining up to sign long-term with the Phillies, turned around and chose the more lucrative offer per year (but in the short term) from the Mets, who turned everything upside down after letting go of Tucker.
Obviously, this cut off two options for the Blue Jays. We know that Tucker has always been a big target (Toronto had a long-term offer for him)… and we know that the fans wanted Bo Bichette to come back.
I always thought Bichette was likely to leave, considering the fact that rumors had been sending him elsewhere for years. But we could also think that he had some chances of staying.
But now, it’s official: he’s going to join his friend Marcus Semien. He chose Steve Cohen’s money, which is his most basic right. And if all goes well, in a year he could sign long term.
What does that mean for the Blue Jays?
When we look at everything, we see that the offensive alignment is complete. I say complete in the sense that the season could start like this, not in the sense that nothing can be improved.
Is an addition (Cody Bellinger or a second-rate player) coming? Yes, it’s possible to think that.
But in fact, the addition of Kazuma Okamoto means that the Blue Jays are not forced to do like the Mets and give a contract like this to another player.
On one hand, the Blue Jays managed to play without Bichette for most of September and October. In the end, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was replaced by Okamoto, which is encouraging.
But on the other hand, over 162 games, Bichette has his importance. Seeing a guy like that leave and thinking that it won’t hurt the club is wrong.
What helps the Blue Jays is that they still have a better team right now than in 2025. The many pitchers (and Okamoto) who have joined the club ensure that the Blue Jays will be hard to beat.
But despite everything, the attack is less good. It’s undeniable, even if the club in general is better.
However, there is no hurry. If Ross Atkins isn’t able to add a hitter right now, maybe it can be done at the deadline, using some of the organization’s young guys to make trades.
We’ll see in due time. But even if the last 24 hours are not ideal, we must not forget the start of the off-season (Dylan Cease was a big blow) and all the players who are already in place.
