Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was among 13 major league players who received qualifying offers from their teams on Thursday.
Any of the players could accept a one-year contract for $22,025,000 million rather than becoming free agents.
The others who got the offers from their teams were:
–Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and left-hander Ranger Suarez
–Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker
–New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz
–Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff
–Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez
–San Diego Padres right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King
–Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga
–Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen
–New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham
–Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres
The offering team would receive draft-pick compensation if the player declines the offer and signs with a new club for the 2026 season. Players also could re-sign with their current team on a more lucrative, multiyear deal than the qualifying offer.
Bichette, 27, is expected to be a huge attraction on the free agent market this winter. He completed a three-year deal valued at $33.6 million. Only 14 players have accepted a qualifying offer since the system was implemented in 2012, according to MLB.com.
The Blue Jays selected Bichette in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft and he was voted to the All-Star Game in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
He led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022. This season, he was tops in the AL with 181 hits before a left knee sprain abbreviated his regular season.
Bichette batted .311 with 18 homers and 94 RBIs in 139 regular-season games, then returned for the World Series and batted .348 with one homer and six RBIs as the Blue Jays fell to the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
He is a career .294 hitter with 111 home runs, 437 RBIs, a .337 on-base percentage and .469 slugging percentage in 748 regular-season games since making his major league debut in July 2019.
Schwarber, 32, led the National League with 56 homers and 132 RBIs this year. He batted just .240 but had a respectable .365 on-base percentage. The three-time All-Star has averaged 46.8 homers over the past four seasons.
Tucker, a 28-year-old four-time All-Star, had a mediocre season in his first year with the Cubs in 2025. He hit .266 with a .377 on-base percentage, a .464 slugging percentage, 22 homers, 73 RBIs and 25 steals in 136 games.
