The Toronto Blue Jays announced a handful of roster moves on Thursday afternoon, including a straightforward one involving All-Star infielder Bo Bichette. Thursday marked the deadline for teams to offer qualifying offers to eligible players, and Toronto confirmed on X that they have extended such an offer to Bichette.
“Roster Moves: INF Bo Bichette extended a Qualifying Offer for 2026,” the Blue Jays announced. Along with this, the team made several other roster adjustments:
– RHPs Angel Bastardo, Bowden Francis, Yimi García, and Nick Sandlin were reinstated from the 60-day injured list.
– C Brandon Valenzuela was selected to the Major League roster.
– RHPs Ryan Burr and Dillon Tate cleared waivers and elected free agency.
– RHP Robinson Piña cleared waivers, was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, and assigned outright to Triple-A.
This year’s qualifying offer is expected to be just over $22 million for the 2026 season.
The decision to extend the qualifying offer to Bichette was an easy one for the Blue Jays because it’s essentially a no-lose situation. While there is very little chance Bichette will accept the qualifying offer, Toronto is protecting its interests. If Bichette signs with another team, the Blue Jays will receive draft compensation in return.
Of course, the best-case scenario for Toronto is that Bichette returns to the team on a favorable, long-term contract. But if he chooses to leave the organization, the Blue Jays won’t be left empty-handed thanks to this qualifying offer.
https://www.newsweek.com/blue-jays-make-easy-bo-bichette-contract-decision-11005664