The Toronto Blue Jays announced a handful of roster moves on Thursday afternoon, including a very easy one involving All-Star infielder Bo Bichette.
Thursday is the deadline for teams to offer the qualifying offer to eligible players. Toronto announced on X that the offer is being extended to Bichette, along with a slew of moves.
“Roster Moves: INF Bo Bichette extended a Qualifying Offer for 2026,” the Blue Jays announced. “RHPs Angel Bastardo, Bowden Francis, Yimi García, and Nick Sandlin reinstated from 60-day IL, C Brandon Valenzuela selected to Major League roster, RHPs Ryan Burr and Dillon Tate cleared waivers and elected free agency, (and) RHP Robinson Piña cleared waivers, reinstated from 60-day IL, and assigned outright to Triple-A.”
This year’s qualifying offer is expected to be a touch over $22 million for the 2026 season. The reason why this decision was an easy one for the Blue Jays is that it is a no-lose situation. There is almost no chance that Bichette agrees to the qualifying offer, but Toronto is covering its bases.
If Bichette signs elsewhere, the Blue Jays will receive draft compensation in exchange for him. Now, the best-case scenario for the Blue Jays certainly is Bichette returning to Toronto on a nice, long-term deal. But, if he does opt to leave the organization, at least the Blue Jays wouldn’t be left completely empty-handed because of this decision.
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