TORONTO – The latest off-season signposts came and went as expected for the Toronto Blue Jays, who watched Bo Bichette decline the $22.025-million qualifying offer ahead of one deadline Tuesday and added Ricky Tiedemann to the 40-man roster before another.
Bichette joined fellow free agents Dylan Cease, Edwin Diaz, Zac Gallen, Michael King, Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez in rejecting the offer, a sign each expects to do far better on the open market. Players leery of how being a qualified free agent – guaranteeing their former team a compensatory draft pick and costing a non-incumbent signing team a draft pick – will affect their market sometimes accept, which Trent Grisham (Yankees), Shota Imanaga (Cubs), Gleyber Torres (Tigers) and Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) did.
The procedural manoeuvrings do little to change the trajectory of Bichette’s free agency, one of the pre-eminent questions facing the Blue Jays this winter, as he was always going to be one of the most coveted players available in this free-agent class.
If he departs, the Blue Jays will get a compensatory pick after the fourth round because their 2025 payroll was above the Competitive Balance Tax, or CBT, threshold of $241 million. As such, they’ll also forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft picks plus $1 million from their international bonus pool if they sign a qualified free agent.
Cease, Suarez, Gallen and Valdez are, to varying degrees, sure to be on the radar as the Blue Jays hunt for at least one starting pitcher this winter – perhaps their top priority – while also seeking to bolster their bullpen with leverage arms.
Tiedemann, the 23-year-old lefty who was a consensus top-100 prospect before missing all last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, offers an intriguing wild-card in their pitching mix. He’d been on a fast-track to the majors before elbow issues derailed him in 2024 and was pushing toward game action when this past season ended.
Adding him to their 40-man roster – pushing them up to 38 – ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for filing reserve lists doesn’t necessarily mean his arrival to the majors is imminent, but it does protect him from exposure in next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Players in the farm system now eligible for selection include shortstop Josh Kasevich, outfielders Yohendrick Pinango and Victor Arias and catcher Edward Duran.
Starter Chad Dallas and relievers Connor Cooke and T.J. Brock – all coming off Tommy John surgery – are eligible, too, making them potential candidates for a creative team with roster space. The Blue Jays made a similar pick of an injured player during last year’s Rule 5 draft in righty Angel Bastardo, who should be ready for next spring.
