Free-agent Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette appears to be slipping further and further away from a return to the American League champion club, with a face-to-face meeting on Monday with the Philadelphia Phillies — meeting that reportedly went “very well.”
The potential Bichette defection to Philadelphia comes in the wake of Toronto’s signing of free-agent third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, who will make the jump from the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Central League — a move which, while not completely ruling out a Bichette return, makes the two-time All-Star’s fit with the team that drafted him 66th overall in 2016 a more awkward fit.
The New York Yankees are also reportedly “lurking” around Bichette, while the Boston Red Sox are now, at least according to media leaks, “aggressively” making a big for the 26-year-old after they lost free agent Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs.
Dodgers Also Possible Landing Spot
Even the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to Bichette, who according to MLB.com correspondent Theo DeRosa “could be a good fit at one of the club’s weakest positions.”
The rising interest in Bichette from other powerhouse teams makes the Blue Jays’ recent decision to cut ties with a power-hitting shortstop who potentially could fill the gap left by Bichette even more puzzling.
Released Shortstop Displayed ‘Immense Power’
The Blue Jays had only signed 26-year-old Rodolfo Castro on Nov. 26, according to the player’s official transaction ledger, assigning him to the Buffalo Bisons, the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate. The Jays even extended Castro an invitation to major-league spring training.
But barely six weeks after acquiring the 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates international signee, the Blue Jays released Castro for reasons that are not entirely clear. Though the shortstop’s release was first widely reported on Sunday, according to his transactions ledger it was on Friday that the Blue Jays — technically the Bisons — cut ties with Castro.
Why did the Blue Jays sign him in the first place? According to the Pirates news site Rum Bunter, it was Castro’s “immense power potential” that attracted Pittsburgh a decade ago. And in his up-and-down career, the Los Llanos, Dominican Republic, native has remained mostly consistent with his ability to drive the ball out of the park, even as he has struggled with other areas of his offensive production.
When he arrived in the big leagues with the Pirates in 2021, “his first five hits were all home runs, setting a Pirates record and making him the first player in the modern era since 1900 to achieve such a remarkable start,” according to Bryce Naughton of Rum Bunter.
Castro Appears Bound For Asia
According to reporting by the Spanish-language media outlet Tiempo Extra RD, “The move is surprising since Castro had just signed a minor league contract on Nov. 26. Speculation suggests his next destination could be in Asian baseball.”
The report was echoed by another Spanish-language sports journalist, Luichy Sanchez Peralta, who noted of Castro’s surprising release, “We don’t know if it was with the aim of heading to Asian baseball.”
As of Monday morning, there was no official confirmation that Castro was planning to sign with a team in Japan, Korea or Taiwan. But Castro’s absence will create a gap at shortstop for the Bisons, which is why the Blue Jays over the weekend signed another shortstop, Rafael Lantigua, to take the position.
Blue Jays Release Power Shortstop as Bo Bichette’s Free Agency Heat Rises