Before tonight’s ALCS Game Seven, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that shortstop Bo Bichette has been making “significant progress” in recent days, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
Bichette had a great year at the plate but his regular season was unceremoniously ended in a collision with Yankees catcher Austin Wells in early September. Bichette suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and hasn’t played since.
The Jays still managed to make the playoffs without Bichette and have stayed alive in the postseason as well. With each new playoff series, it has been a question of whether Bichette has healed enough to make the roster but he hasn’t been able to do so. If the Jays manage to hold off the Mariners tonight, there will be a few more days for recovery, as the World Series doesn’t begin until Friday.
On the one hand, getting Bichette’s bat back in the lineup to face the Dodgers in the World Series would be a tremendous boost. He hit .311/.357/.483 for a 134 wRC+ this year. On the other hand, it may lead to some tough decisions elsewhere. George Springer is banged up after fouling a ball off his knee. He has still been able to serve as the designated hitter but he wasn’t playing defensively very often this year even before that knee injury.
Between Bichette and Springer, only one of them can be the DH, so someone would have to take the field or sit on the bench if Bichette were back. Additionally, someone would have to be squeezed off the roster. Davis Schneider hasn’t been used much in the ALCS because his platoon role isn’t as needed against a Mariner club with few lefties. The Dodgers have far more southpaws, so he would probably be more useful against that club. If someone like Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Myles Straw were bumped off instead of Schneider, that would cut into the club’s defense, which has been a big part of their success this year.
They could also subtract a pitcher if they feel they have enough depth to get to the finish line with one fewer arm. Chris Bassitt is pitching out of the bullpen and has only been used once in the ALCS, so perhaps it’s possible for the Jays to live without him or one of their other relief arms.
The Jays would love to have to make these tough decisions, as that would mean they are both going to the World Series and have Bichette back in the mix. They obviously have to win tonight’s matchup first. If they can pull it off, then the focus will again turn to whether or not Bichette get back to them.
For Bichette personally, it would obviously be great to get back in there. On top of just wanting to contribute to the team, he is also an impending free agent. Demonstrating his health before the offseason could assuage some fears that clubs may have about him.
His offensive talent is undeniable but he’s never been a strong defender and has had a series of lower body injuries in recent years. Right knee and quad injuries put him on the IL in 2023. Last year, issues with his right calf contributed to the worst season of his career. He bounced back tremendously this year before this ongoing knee saga began. Some clubs will surely question his ability to stick at shortstop in the long term and will naturally have less willingness to invest in him, though playing in the World Series and coming up with some clutch moments could help him claw back some earning power.
One player who won’t be a factor in the World Series is right-hander José Berríos. Per Nicholson-Smith, John Schneider said today that the righty has resumed throwing but his season is done. That’s not especially surprising. He finished the season on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. Even before that, he had been nudged to the bullpen late in the campaign as the Jays tried to maximize their rotation for the playoffs.
Still, the fact that he has begun throwing is good news for the 2026 rotation. The Jays are set to lose both Bassitt and Max Scherzer to free agency. Shane Bieber will probably follow those two out of town, as he has a $16MM player option he should turn down in favor of a $4MM buyout and a return to free agency. On paper, next year’s likely rotation includes Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Berríos, with guys like Eric Lauer, Bowden Francis, Angel Bastardo, Ricky Tiedemann and others in the mix. The Jays will probably be looking for starting pitching this winter and a serious injury to Berríos would have only added to the need.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images
Let’s go Bo. IKF has been okay but he ain’t Bo
Get your t!tties out Canada!
@DonOsbourne
We’re to busy with our elbows up.
Thanks for the tip……oh, wait.
He will look good in phillies red
Bryson stott does not deserve to be gone
In this scenario Bichette or Turner probably gets moved to 3B and Bohm shipped out of town
@Rsox
Bichette doesn’t have the arm and has problems coming in on GB’s (by OAA). Pretty much the job description for 3B.
I agree!! 3rd would be Bichette’s most suitable position for his future.
Where would they play him? This makes no sense as he will be overpaid and can’t play 3b or ss
Keep dreaming. He’s re-signing in Toronto
The Phillies have Aiden Miller
I doubt they even check in. Maybe if he’s still there in January.
For Bichette personally, it would obviously be great to get back in there.
I’d like to see the Jays sign Laurer to a 2yr deal. 10-12M for at worst long man isn’t that bad.
I think they have him under control through 2026 via arbitration
@Poolhalljunkies
Correct. Schwartz had him at about 4.5M for his final year of arb. Buy out that year at 4M with a 1M option for a second year. Year 2 is 5M.
There’s no way Lauer takes that. Sure it removes injury/regression risk, but if he doesn’t totally blow it next year his bare minimum is a Ross Stripling type contract (2 years $25M). With potential for significantly more if he puts up the type of season he already has three times. Letting a year of free agency be bought out at $5M makes zero sense for the player even before you make it a team option.
@smuzqwpdmx
Laurer has a year of arb control in ’26 worth about 4.5M as calculated by Matt Schwartz (from this site). That means the second year of his contact would be over 20M by your calculations. He will be 32 when entering the second year of the contract you suggest with only one year of success in his career. It is far more his successful year was a blip in his career than a trend. 2/25 is way too high.
I was speaking about the contract he’d sign in ’27 of course, ’26 is irrelevant since your contract idea doesn’t give him any more than he’d make in arbitration.
He’ll be younger than Stripling was, he has a FAR better track record, and salaries are up from when Stripling signed
You notion that he’s only had one blip successful year indicates you’ve never even glanced at his stats. All five years that he’s been healthy enough to pitch much, he’s been good enough to make at least $15M/yr on the open market.
You’re talking about a guy who has a 3.74 ERA from 2021 onward in 428.2 innings, and you’re pretending he’s going to take 5M a season. Not a chance in hell unless he enters free agency on a major arm surgery — which is a risk as he knows from it happening before, but he’ll make sooo much more if healthy that there’s no chance he’d consider that worthwhile security. Heck, he ALREADY made $5M a year from the Brewers in arbitration in ’23. He’s already earned more than than this so-called offer you’re dangling.
@smuzqwpdmx
And the ’23 season was bad enough that he didn’t get a gig in Japan but in Korea (the equivalent of AA). The Jays would be taking on a ton of risk signing him to the contract you suggest.
His time with the Brewers he put a 0.8 fWAR/150 in over 300 innings. Middling.
His SIERA, FIP, xFIP, and xERA all suggest higher ERA’s which can be accounted for by BABIP’s about 30 pionts lower than league average. With BABIP normalized his ERA is going to climb. Zips projections have him pitching ~100 innings with an fWAR totaling 1.2 in 26 and ’27. He’s with the Jays next year at ~4.5M. With that in mind, a second year in the 5M-7M range is fair given the risk involved.
Good luck. Blue Jays will need him against the Dodgers.
To adjust the rabbit ears on the television while they all watch the series from home?
Love the enthusiasm, but, the Mariners were just eliminated by the same expansion team that was required to balance the league when their franchise was created.
The Dodgers are the best team money can buy in Major League Baseball!!!
They just have “WAY TOO MUCH MONEY THAT THEY CAN SPEND!!!!”
When a team has enough money to pay only 2 players (Othani & Yamamoto) a combined
$1 billion dollars in only their salaries alone, (!!!!) ——
The other teams in baseball can forget it!!!
When it comes to World Series time ——
If the Dodgers don’t have the players they need at the trading deadline —- they’ll just spend another $1 billion on a couple of more players to make sure they DO get to the World Series!!!!!
It is either Schneider or Loperfido that gets removed for Bo.
It’s 110% going to be loperfido
This. He was only added for the ALCS after Santander got hurt. They’ll need Schneider’s right handed bat at some point and he can fill in at a lot of positions if needed.
Go Mariners!
Bet if he wasn’t a pending free agent about to secure a bigass contract he’d be out there.
Soft.
See ya later Bitchette
Why am I not allowed to reply to Never Remember? Trash needs to always be reminded that’s it’s trash. Never Remember is trash
Some people are sensitive and need to mute others who call them out on whatever nonsense they’re posting.
So if there’s no reply option that person has muted you?
@Another: Yes.
@RangerDanger: Never Remember was formerly known as blackpink (and several other names) before paying the Trade Rumors fee. He seems to feel free to post the same things that used to get him banned before changing his screen name to Never Remember. He’s banned most of us who used to call him out. You can’t reply to him because you’ve joined the rest of he’s muted.
@NashvilleJeff: oooooooh, I didn’t realize Never Remember is blackpink. That explains so much. Thanks for the info.
FYI/ to be accurate Springer was hit by pitch on knee.
Congrats to the Blue Jays! That was a great series, great baseball!
Only way Springer gets left off the roster is if his kneecap is broken. After that homer, not even sure that would do it. As bucsfan said above, Loperfido’s the most likely cut..
You have to add his bat. The depth of the Jays lineup won this series. They’ll need it and bench bats next series.
Springer lukes Varsho OF, bichette DH. Loperfido off the roster.
Barger to 3b Ernie to 2B
Let’s hope Springer’s knee is good to go in the outfield.
Mariners are the only team that can beat LA.
guess we will have to wait till next year for that
The Jays won the season series against the Mariners, and even after they dropped the first two games to the Mariners, they regrouped and kicked some booty in four out of five games, including winning two of three games in Seattle. Torontos fan base is five times as human as Seattle’s crowd ! Seattles fans were pathetic in booing Springer, after Woo drilled him in his knee with a 97-mph fastball…I was there and sooo many Toronto fans were incensed at Seattles crowd !
God had a way of rewarding those who show such behavior !!!! It’s time to rethink your brotherhood… At least you’ll have more years to cultivate some compassion while you sit-out the 2025 World Series!
He will be playing.
Thankfully IKF will be back on the bench.
Was at the game tonight with my son.
Most electric I’ve ever seen the dome.
Congrats Blue Jays! It’ll be a blue World Series. The Reds and Red Sox were quickly eliminated.
If only baseball were politics.
Please, no.
it doesn’t matter no way they beat LA
It’s unrelated and it’s going to seem like hindsight but Why didn’t they bring in Muñoz is going to join Why didn’t they hand the ball to Lynch in all time painful Seattle moments.
You can be sure Bichette will be on the roster for the World Series. Over half the country will be rooting for the Blue Jays to win the World Series. I like the Blue Jays team.
LOL Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman.
I hope he plays like he did in last year’s WS.
For his sake ——. of just having the opportunity to play in a World Series —- I hope Bichette is able to get back on the Blue Jays roster!!!
How could you mistakenly say Woo gave up Springer’s homer? Didn’t anyone at the site watch the game?
One would have to think Loperfido is the player left off for Bo.
Looerfido can watch!
Fakers is our backup
Bichette had a great year before the injury, but will that be the player they get back? His running ability is questionable. He hasn’t had a rehab assignment, so the bat maybe out of sync. During his injuries last year, he didn’t perform well. Other players will be moved around defensively to fit him in, and a perfectly healthy player will be benched. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t decision. Best of luck to both teams, but GO BLUE JAYS!!
The defense has NOT been a big part of the Jays’ success this year. They finished 18th in team defense.
By what measure were they 18th? They were first in Statcast fielding run value, first by fangraphs’ defensive metric, and fourth by DRS.
Lol ya five gold glove finalists. Missing the best centre fielder in baseball for half the year and plugging in the second best in straw. That didnt play a big part? Lol