All all through the offseason you’ll hear rumors and stories floating round that the Crimson Sox are concerned with numerous gamers. Some are extra believable than others, and most of the time nothing comes of it.
One rumor, nevertheless, caught my consideration, largely as a result of it didn’t make a lot sense. All through the winter there have been murmurs that the Crimson Sox have been in contact with free agent shortstop Bo Bichette, and through the Winter Conferences the 2 sides reportedly met over Zoom.
On the floor that’s cheap since Bichette is likely one of the high free agent hitters out there, however with Trevor Story beneath contract for one more two years including Bichette would have additionally appeared redundant.
Because it seems, possibly not.
Wednesday morning MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported on MLB Community that Bichette has begun telling groups he’s keen to play second base, not simply shortstop. That will presumably increase his market of potential suitors, and it will make him a way more engaging choice for the Crimson Sox, who don’t at the moment have a longtime on a regular basis second baseman.
How does Bo Bichette’s market change as a second baseman?@Feinsand expands on stories that the slugger is keen to make the place change. https://t.co/vtzLIkcszv pic.twitter.com/giIcrBWgAh
— MLB Community (@MLBNetwork) December 17, 2025
He might additionally characterize an alternate for the Crimson Sox if third baseman Alex Bregman winds up signing elsewhere.
When it comes to what he brings to the desk, Bichette checks a whole lot of bins.
Nonetheless solely 27 years previous, Bichette has been among the many sport’s high contact hitters ever since he debuted for the Toronto Blue Jays alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019. He’s a two-time All-Star with a .294 profession common and greater than 900 profession hits, and this previous season he bounced again from an injury-riddled 2024 by batting .311 with 18 dwelling runs, 94 RBI, an .840 OPS and three.5 wins above substitute.
He missed a month on the finish of the season with a sprained knee however returned for the World Sequence and batted .348 with a house run, eight RBI and a .923 OPS.
So far as how he’d match with the Crimson Sox, Bichette bats right-handed, which might assist stability the membership’s lefty-heavy lineup. He’s not the facility menace that Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso are, however he has three seasons with greater than 20 homers — together with a career-high 29 in 2021.
Whereas Bichette can spray the ball all around the area, most of his dwelling runs final 12 months have been pulled to left, which suggests he’d have the ability to use the Inexperienced Monster to his benefit. He’s definitely executed so all through his profession. In 35 profession video games at Fenway Park, Bichette has a .329 common with six dwelling runs, 10 doubles, 30 RBI and a .907 OPS.
His 16 extra-base hits at Fenway are second solely to Camden Yards (18) for many at an opposing ballpark.
The key black marks on Bichette all through his profession have been his protection and sturdiness.
Bichette is a poor defensive shortstop and final season his minus-12 defensive runs saved was tied for tenth worst in MLB throughout all positions. His vary ranked throughout the backside 1% and he possessed beneath common arm power, per Statcast, and previously he’s recorded two seasons with greater than 20 errors.
So far as accidents go, Bichette hasn’t performed greater than 139 video games in a season since 2022.
As a second baseman, nevertheless, these points is probably not as pronounced. He performed second for the primary time in his MLB profession upon getting back from harm within the World Sequence, and in 5 video games Bichette didn’t document an error and largely dealt with himself properly.
Better of all for Boston, signing Bichette would imply taking him out of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup, weakening a division rival that simply got here inside a whisker of profitable the World Sequence.
At the same time as a second baseman, Bichette gained’t come low-cost. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel lately projected Bichette will land a five-year, $150 million contract in free company, which might put him at $25 million yearly assuming his deal doesn’t embody any deferred cash.
That’s completely throughout the Crimson Sox’s funds. The query is how Craig Breslow envisions the infield over the long term.
Contemplate a few potential eventualities.
One, the Crimson Sox again up the Brink’s truck and signal each Bregman and Bichette. Boston goes into subsequent season with a beginning infield of Bregman, Story, Bichette and both Triston Casas or Romy Gonzalez at first, and that’s roughly the group for the following two years till Story’s contract is up.
Most followers would love that, however the draw back is it will block Marcelo Mayer’s path to a beginning position and probably result in him being traded.
One other, extra life like risk given the Crimson Sox’s latest monitor document is they might signal one in every of Bregman or Bichette and have Mayer slot in at whichever of second or third base is vacant. They’d then have so as to add one other bat to truly improve the lineup relatively than maintain it regular relative to final season, but when the preliminary alternative was between Bregman or Bichette, who may they select?
We all know what sort of a difference-maker Bregman will be each on the sphere and within the clubhouse, but when the Crimson Sox are cautious of investing too closely in older gamers, Bichette being 4 years youthful and nonetheless in his prime can be interesting.
One final situation that would come into play is the Crimson Sox signing Bregman after which selecting between signing Bichette or buying and selling to Arizona’s Ketel Marte to play second.
Bichette is youthful and can solely price cash — although admittedly extra, seemingly at the least $25 million yearly — whereas Marte is older however cheaper, being owed roughly $102.5 million over the following six years, with $41 million of that deferred. However that affordability would come at a value, since prying the 32-year-old away from Arizona would require the Crimson Sox to surrender a number of high prospects, like Mayer or beginning pitchers like Connelly Early or Payton Tolle.
Personally if it have been as much as me I’d simply pay for Bichette, however Breslow might not have that luxurious.
Irrespective of the way you slice it, Bichette being keen to modify to second base opens up a world of latest potentialities, and Crimson Sox followers will need to comply with his free company carefully within the coming weeks.
