Four-time All-Star tabbed ‘perfect fit’ for Blue Jays over Bo Bichette

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to have their pick of the bunch in free agency.

While the Blue Jays have already handed out the largest contract of the winter by far in the form of a $210 million deal for starting pitcher Dylan Cease, no other team besides Toronto is currently linked to all three major position player free agents: Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and Alex Bregman.

Based on a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Saturday, it seems as though Bregman is the backup plan to the other two, which poses an essential question: Are the Blue Jays better off sticking with the guy they know in Bichette or going all-in on a newcomer in Tucker?

MLB.com’s Andrew Simon believes that after losing the World Series in seven games with Bichette as their second baseman, the Blue Jays would be best served going after Tucker, whose power and plate discipline suggest he has the highest upside of anyone available on the market.

Simon tabbed the Blue Jays as the “perfect fit” for Tucker in a piece published on Thursday.

“The Blue Jays could opt to simply bring back Bichette — especially given his willingness to shift to second base — but landing Tucker’s lefty bat to pair with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be an even more impactful move,” Simon wrote.

“Tucker’s rare combination of skills would be a boon to Toronto’s title hopes, and his arrival would establish without a doubt the Blue Jays’ status as a franchise that can attract (and land) elite talent.”

Would anyone in the Blue Jays clubhouse be rubbed the wrong way if Toronto picked Tucker over Bichette? That’s assuming they can’t sign both, of course, but because it will likely cost over half a billion dollars to do so, it’s fair to guess that the most likely scenario is choosing between the two.

Tucker is also likely to sign the longer deal, but the fact that he has four All-Star selections to Bichette’s two shows that he’s demonstrated the consistency to warrant a decade-plus of commitment.

More MLB: Reds Sign Former Red Sox 1st-Round Draft Pick: Report