Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is a believer in the future of the franchise. 

“It’s pretty obvious with this team that we’ve got something pretty special," he told Rob Longley of The Toronto Sun. "The staff is amazing, we work hard and are prepared and we have an intense competitiveness."

Bichette and the franchise are in the midst of an interesting off-season after falling short of the postseason by one game, despite finishing 20 games above .500. 

Major League Baseball is two weeks into a lockout that appears to show no signs of ending soon, but that's not stopping Bichette and his teammates from looking forward to 2021.

“I think we all believe we can win a World Series and that’s what we’re going to do. That’s the goal,” Bichette said. “We’ve shown that ability but now we’ve got to go out and do it.

The Blue Jays have shown over recent years their ability to win ball games and have gone a combined 123-99 since the COVID-shortened 2020 season . 

It's a big step forward from their 216-270 combined record the three seasons prior. 

“I’ve seen this organization grow for the last four years since I got traded here,” Teoscar Hernandez told Longley. “It’s been a good journey. Now that we know we can win, we know we can fight in a division where it’s so hard to be a playoff team."

“We are going to put everything together. We’re going to have an even better season next year. That’s our job, to be ready for the challenge.”

The challenge for Toronto will be finding a way to replicate the production of all-star second baseman Marcus Semien and Cy Young winner Robbie Ray. 

Both players hit the free-agent market following breakout 2021 seasons, and both players cashed in. 

Semien inked a seven-year $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers, while Ray joined the Seattle Mariners for $115 million over five years. 

The team made a splash in the free-agent market of their own, bringing in right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman on a five-year deal. 

Bichette, 23, is gearing up for his fourth season in the MLB and knows what the team must do.

“At the end of the day, we have to start over and regroup and be ready to compete and have an even stronger season so that it doesn’t come down to the final day.”