Posted on: January 11, 2026, 09:59h.
Last updated on: January 11, 2026, 10:00h.
- Chicago Cubs sign 3B Alex Bregman for $175 million, five years
- Boston Red Sox reportedly turning to free agent SS Bo Bichette after missing out on Bregman
- Blue Jays still FanDuel betting favourites to bring back Bichette
The news yesterday that 3B Alex Bregman had signed a 5-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs may end up being the spark to speed up an MLB free agent market that has been slow rolling so far.
SS Bo Bichette has been a fixture on the Toronto Blue Jays since graduating to MLB alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019, having risen up through the Jays’ system with Guerrero Jr.. They are peas in a pod, on a Jays’ team that came within an inch of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series in November, losing 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7. Now a free agent, it will mean heartache for Jays’ fans if Bichette leaves.
MLB Betting: Jays Still Favourite
Bichette is arguably the best hitter available on the free agent market now – .294 career batting average, .337 OBP, 111 HRs, 437 RBIs. And last season he was the Blue Jays’ best hitter – .311 batting average, 18 HRs, 94 RBIs, before a knee injury in September shut him down for the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees, then the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners.
Bichette returned for the World Series against the Dodgers, although he was forced to shift to second base because of the knee injury. Who will forget his towering three-run home run to centrefield off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of Game 7 to put the Jays up 3-0?
So this morning here are the FanDuel odds in the Bichette next team market – Blue Jays -125, Philadelphia Phillies +300, Boston Red Sox +550, New York Yankees +750, Los Angeles Dodgers +1400, and Atlanta Braves +1900.
$300 Million Ask?
Bichette, OF Kyle Tucker, OF Cody Bellinger are the big-ticket free agents still available. Reports out there have Bichette willing to move from shortstop to second base to widen his market, and that his ask is $300 million.
The spotlight for Bichette is on the Red Sox now, since Boston had eyes on bringing Bregman back. Buster Olney of ESPN reported the Red Sox had offered him $165 million over five years before he bolted for Chicago. So Boston is reportedly prioritizing Bichette. If he goes there, though, where he slots in is another thing entirely. Trevor Storey is the shortstop in Boston. So Bichette would have to play second or third.
On the Bellinger front, Olney reported that Bellinger talks that would see him return to the New York Yankees have hit the rocks. The Yankees have been talking to Bichette according to Olney’s reporting so maybe talks there heat up as well.
Updated World Series Odds
With a busy off-season so far – $337 million spent on four players (Dylan Cease, 7 years x $210 million, Cody Ponce, 3 years x $30 million, Tyler Rogers, 3 years x $37 million, Kazuma Okamoto, 4 years x $60 million) – the more realistic way for the Blue Jays to bring Bichette back will likely mean shorter term and higher AAV.
The good news is there might be an answer to all this soon, with the Bregman signing, and a domino effect. If Bichette goes to the Red Sox, Phillies, or the Yankees, the Blue Jays, long rumoured to be the front runner for Tucker (this story today had the Jays, Mets and Dodgers all talking to Tucker), would no doubt improve their offer to try and land the star outfielder.
“The Jays will likely stay in touch with Bichette’s representatives as free agency remains fluid and plans evolve,” wrote Blue Jays’ insider Mitch Bannon in The Athletic. “Perhaps if Bichette elects to take a shorter deal with opt-outs, similar to the contracts signed by Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Cody Bellinger in recent offseasons, the Jays could make things work for a year.”
Today’s World Series odds, according to DraftKings, after the Bregman news: Dodgers +300, Yankees +750, Phillies +1100, Mariners +1300, Cubs +1500, Braves +1500, Blue Jays +1500, Astros +1600, Mets +1600, Red Sox +1700.