Reports: Blue Jays, Bichette avoid arbitration, reach three-year extension
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The Toronto Blue Jays and shortstop Bo Bichette are in agreement on a three-year contract extension that buys out the rest of his arbitration years, according to multiple reports.
Bichette and the Jays were scheduled to go to arbitration on Thursday, with the team offering him $5 million and Bichette filing at $7.5 million. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, it was the largest arbitration discrepancy in MLB.
Bichette was originally arbitration eligible through 2025. He will become a free agent then if no subsequent extension is reached beforehand.
The 24-year-old Bichette slashed .290/.333/.469 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in 159 games last season with the Jays, his fourth season in Toronto after debuting in July of the 2019 season.
By his standards, he struggled at the plate for most of the 2022 season but caught fire in September as the Blue Jays claimed one of the three American League wild card spots. In 32 games in September and October, Bichette hit .406 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.
The Orlando native is a career .297 hitter in 393 regular season games.