Kyle Tucker is the undisputed crown jewel on the position player side of this winter’s free agency, expected to command a contract north of $400 million. However, not far away in the tier below lurks a player whose
combination of age and a resurgent walk year should have many teams intrigued. He might not reach Tucker in terms of absolute production or earning power, but Bo Bichette is absolutely one of the coveted prizes of the offseason.
2025 Statistics: 139 games, 628 PA, .311/.357/.483, 18 HR, 94 RBI, 134 wRC+, -13 OAA, 3.8 fWAR
2026 FanGraphs Depths Charts Projections: 152 games, 658 PA, .292/.341/.454, 19 HR, 78 RBI, 120 wRC+, 4.0 fWAR
Coming after the insane class of shortstops that included Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Trea Turner and others, Bichette ushered in the next wave of rising star shortstops a couple years ahead of the likes of Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Jeremy Peña. After bursting onto the scene in a 2019 debut cameo and COVID-shortened 2020, Bichette established himself in the elite tier of shorstop posting 4.9 fWAR in 2021 and 4.8 in 2022 while appearing in 159 games each campaign.
However, injuries began to strike a player just entering his mid-20s. Thumb, knee, and quad ailments cost him a month in 2023, a serious calf injury robbed him of half of 2024 and sapped his abilities when he was on the field, and a sprained left PCL cost him the final month of the regular season, putting his postseason status in serious doubt.
Despite the division-winning Blue Jays getting a Wild Card bye, Bichette was unavailable for the ALDS and ALCS rounds. He limped back just in time for the World Series and was unable to play in the field, but boy did he stamp his presence on the Fall Classic. He slashed .348/.444/.478 with eight hits, four walks, and six RBIs including a one of the biggest moments in Blue Jays franchise history — a third inning, three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 to put his team ahead in an eventual losing effort.
The postseason magic capped off a resurgent performance in a platform year, one that is certain to earn Bichette a nine-figure contract. With a clean bill of health for most of the regular season, Bichette reestablished himself among the game’s elite at his position,
Bichette’s 181 hits were second-most in the AL, the fourth time in the last five years that he has finished in the top-four of the AL in base hits. It’s also the fourth time in the last five years that he has accrued at least 3.8 fWAR, affirming his floor as a comfortable four-win shortstop. FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projection system agrees, pegging him for another four-win campaign thanks to a projected 120 wRC+ across 152 games, that fWAR and wRC+ both top-eight marks across league shortstop projections.
In many ways, he is exactly the type of top-of-the-order bat the Yankees’ lineup is crying out for, especially after the subtractions of Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham in free agency. His 14.5-percent strikeout rate would have been second-lowest after Bellinger and 134 wRC+ second-highest behind Judge among lineup regulars in 2025. He’s no Punch-and-Judy hitter either, routine placing in the top quartile league wide in exit velocity and hard-hit rate despite sporting poor bat speed. In a way this is almost encouraging — the fact he is able to make consistent hard contact tells me he has elite precision with the barrel when swinging at full tilt, thus making the most out of a slower swing speed.
Of course, there is the issue of his defense. Routinely one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league, Bichette sank to a new low in 2025, his -13 Outs Above Average the worst mark of any qualified shortstop. That along with his declining arm strength and sprint speed have many around the industry ticketing him for a move to second base in the near future (he already cameoed there in the Fall Classic). The Yankees went to great lengths to beef up their infield defense in 2025 and in this regard he is not at all a fit with their priorities.
Speaking of fit, as much as he would improve the Yankees offense, it is hard to see a world in which they would pursue Bichette. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone remain steadfast in their loyalty to Anthony Volpe as the organization’s starting shortstop. What’s more, with two vacancies in the outfield and an injury-depleted rotation, focus will be fixed on addressing those areas, and available funds may dry up before turning attention to Bichette, who is projected to earn in the neighborhood of $200 million across seven or eight years.
There’s a lane where the Yankees could get creative and thread the needle with a Bichette signing. His presence would allow them to be patient with Anthony Volpe’s return and gives them a readymade replacement at second base after the upcoming season with Jazz Chisholm Jr. entering his walk year. If the Yankees finally decide that Volpe is not the franchise shortstop, there’s a scenario where they could sign Bichette to play short this season, extend Jazz, and then move Bichette to the keystone, Jazz to the hot corner, and promote top prospect George Lombard Jr. to man the six starting in 2027.
Unfortunately, there are a ton of ifs, hypotheticals, and moving parts in these scenarios. The simplest solution sees the Yankees prioritize their more pressing vacancies and let Bichette sign his mega deal elsewhere, the Blue Jays said to be eager to tie him down long term alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as franchise cornerstones. It’s even worth wondering whether he even views the Yankees as a step forward after the Blue Jays cast them aside so easily in the ALDS, without his help no less. However, this would be a missed opportunity by the Yankees. Bichette is entering his age-28 season, and there is not another impact position player that young in this class or upcoming classes. His projections indicate he would immediately be one of the best offensive threats on the 2026 Yankees, and it’s the kind of market-shaking move one would have expected from the Yankees during their championship-chasing halcyon years.
