Toronto Blue Jays interest in Ketel Marte indicative of backup plan in case of a Bo Bichette departure
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays interest in Ketel Marte indicates a back up plan in case Bo Bichette decides to go elsewhere else in free agency.
On Tuesday, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported that the Blue Jays had «checked in» on Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
Bichette is one of the younger top free agents in the class. He'll turn 28 a few weeks before Opening Day.
He has twice led the American League in hits and would have done so again this year if not for the knee injury.
The two-time All-Star is coming off a .311/.357/.483 showing with 18 homers across 628 regular season plate appearances.
Bichette made it back for the World Series. Despite clearly being limited and having gone a month without the benefit of live at-bats, he came back to hit .348 in the Fall Classic.
His towering three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 would have gone down as one of the biggest moments in Toronto sports history if not for the Dodgers' ninth-inning comeback.
However, the lingering question is how long Bichette can stick at shortstop. He's a below-average runner with middling arm strength who rates as one of the weakest defensive shortstops in MLB.
The glove was an issue even before the knee sprain, which could increase some teams' concerns about his lateral quickness even if it's expected to heal without surgery.
Most or all 30 clubs would project him as a second baseman by the end of a long-term deal.
There are some for whom he'd only fit as a second baseman already. Bichette hasn't tipped his hand publicly about whether he'd be open to a position change, but that'd create more opportunities that would drum up interest.
Blue Jays covering all their bases by checking in on Ketel Marte
Even though Bichette has stated many times that he wants to return Toronto, baseball is a business, and you never know what the outcome may be in the end.
Nobody knows this better than Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro. They have offered the world to top free agents in the past only to come up empty.
So with all the interest in Bichette league wide, it's no surprise that the Blue Jays front office is doing their due diligence by checking in on Marte.
MLB Network's Jon Morosi shared his thoughts [video below] on the Blue Jays interest in Marte in tandum to re-signing Bichette.
"Notably, the Blue Jays are NOT on Marte's limited no-trade clause list. Which means the Blue Jays could acquire Marte without his permission, and why is this really important right now? If it's the Jays, think about this...that would mean that Andres Gimenez is the shortstop, that Marte is the second baseman, and Bo Bichette would be playing somewhere else. So keep an eye on that potential trade possibility. Again, I'm not saying the Jays have Marte as a greater priority than Bichette, but they are pursuing that in tandem as they figure out different way to fill out their lineup for 2026".
Bichette rejected a qualifying offer. A signing team would give up draft compensation and/or international signing bonus space to add him. That's not much of a factor for a free agent of this caliber.
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