Bo Bichette is not seen as a shortstop across MLB

After a rather difficult 2024 campaign, Bo Bichette is having a phenomenal season with the Toronto Blue Jays. This comes at a good time, as he heads to the free agent market at the end of the season.

However, there is a downside that could affect his value this winter. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Bichette is not considered a long-term shortstop by many Major League Baseball teams.

The market for shortstops this winter is very thin. You have Bo Bichette. But Bichette, in the eyes of many in the industry, shouldn't be at shortstop, or at least not for much longer.

This will be a huge blow to his potential value in the off-season, since if Manfred Circuit organizations see him as a second-cushion player, the money he would be paid would be significantly less.

The problem for Bichette is that he currently ranks 34th among MLB shortstops with -13 strikeouts above average defensively (OAA). That puts him dead last among qualified players at the position, even behind New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe and his lofty -8.

The only thing that could tip the scales in the 27-year-old's favor is the very weak crop of players playing the number six position this winter. Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story could opt out of his contract, as could Ha-Seong Kim with the Atlanta Braves. Otherwise, Miguel Rojas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Amed Rosario are in the mix. Nothing to write home about.

Bichette currently boasts a .310 batting average, with 18 home runs, 91 runs batted in and 76 runs scored. He has an OPS of .832 with a wRC+ of 130, which would be a career high for a full season.

Perhaps these numbers could make a difference.

This content was created with the help of AI.