The Toronto Blue Jays saw Bo Bichette leave for the New York Mets on a massive three-year, $126 million deal.
Bichette was a key part of Toronto’s organization for years, and although he had said he wanted to spend his entire career with the Blue Jays, that won’t happen. Although Bichette seemed like he wanted to return, his former teammate in Toronto, Whit Merrifield, claimed the star infielder wasn’t too interested in a return.
“I know for a fact Bo loves Toronto, loves the Jays, loves the city, loves the fans there. I also know that there was some stuff along the way that happened with Bo and the coaching staff,” Merrifield said on his 6ix inning stretch podcast.
“There was some stuff that went on with Bo and the Jays as far as the front office and coaching staff that maybe tainted that relationship a little bit. I don’t know how negotiations went, don’t know how involved Toronto was in bringing Bo back. I know they probably tried a little bit for the city’s sake, but I think it was probably inevitable a little bit that they ended up parting ways.”
It’s an interesting take from Merrifield, who knew Bichette well due to them being teammates. Merrifield said he would have been more surprised if Bichette re-signed given how everything was behind the scenes.
“I wasn’t really surprised he didn’t go back to Toronto. I really would have been more surprised if he would have been back in Toronto just from some of the stuff that happened along the way” said Merrifield.
Bichette is a two-time MLB All-Star.
Insider Claims Bichette Had Resentment Towards Blue Jays
Merrifield’s report comes after a Blue Jays insider also said something similar.
Rosie DiManno of The Toronto Star reported that Bichette grew resentful towards Toronto and didn’t want to return.
“Though he rarely revealed his innermost thoughts, grown more reserved over the years, there were occasions when he disclosed deep anger toward the organization and bitter disappointment. I think he came to somewhat resent being the lesser golden boy to Guerrero’s generational superstar and franchise bulwark,” DiManno wrote.
“Of wildly different temperaments, they didn’t even seem very close any more, just mouthing the platitudes. And any misgivings about the Jays — his place in their orbit — would certainly have reinforced skepticism toward an executive cabal so apparently phlegmatic about locking him in.”
With DiManno’s report and now Merrifield’s, perhaps it isn’t surprising that Bichette did leave the Blue Jays in free agency.
Bichette Sends Message to Toronto
Following Bichette being introduced to the Mets media, he spoke to a Blue Jays reporter and sent a message to Toronto.
The star shortstop said there were some talks to return, but he felt like this was the best move for him. He also has nothing but good things to say about Toronto.
“I’ll only have fond memories of my time with the Blue Jays,” Bichette said to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “I’ll only have fond memories of the fans, they supported me so much. I will also remember my first at-bat in the World Series; they had my back, and they believed in me after not playing for that long. They were supporting me through that. I was open to it, and like I said, we had conversations throughout the offseason and it just didn’t pan out.”
Bichette also issued a letter to Blue Jays fans thanking them for everything.
Ex-Teammate Dros Truth Bomb on Bo Bichette’s True Feelings Towards Blue Jays