“Bo Bichette values his privacy”; “That is total BS” - Fans roast journalist over shortstop’s alleged Yankees shade amid Blue Jays $22M offer

Bo Bichette received a $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays, which he is expected to turn down and head into free agency. The shortstop is expected to be a big fish in the market, including the New York Yankees, who, as reported by the Toronto Sun, is a team Bichette can consider leaving Toronto for.

In an article on Sunday by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Bichette is reportedly not averse to the idea of playing in the Big Apple, although his first preference is to remain a Blue Jay.

“Bichette told everyone who would listen that he wants to stay a Blue Jay as free agency approaches," Simmons wrote. "He wants to continue his quest with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He sad that publicly while quietly telling some people he wouldn’t mind playing in New York in the future. The immediate future.”

Fans on social media were having none of it, blasting Simmons for this wild take. Here are a few reactions:

"Steve Simmons is a laughing stock over here. Take what he writes with a grain of salt. Not saying it can't happen but Bo values his privacy" a fan wrote.

"That is total bs. Kinda like how a year ago people thought Guerrero wanted to be a Yankee," another fan said.

"If Steve Simmons said this it basically means the opposite. Sorry Yankees fans he ain’t going anywhere near y'all," a fan wrote.

"[Simmons] is arguably the most unreliable "journalist" and I use that term very loosely in Toronto media right now. Lol," a fan commented.

"It’s amazing how many players’ “private” thoughts about wanting to play for the Yankees suddenly make their way into the press when they’re free agents," a fan stated.

"Yankees fans have no idea how uncredible the Toronto sun is lmao," a fan trolled.

The Yankees have had problems with their current shortstop, Anthony Volpe's production. He batted at .212 with a .663 OPS and poor defensive returns with a -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average. While Bichette's defense was comparatively worse, he will be a big upgrade at the plate.

Bichette had a turnaround season this year after an injury-laden campaign in 2024. He hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs and led the American League in hits before injury put him on the sidelines in September. He almost won the World Series for Toronto with a three-run blast in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New York Post claims Yankees have third best odds to sign Bo Bichette

New York publication, the New York Post, claimed in an article on Saturday that the Yankees have a +700 chance of signing Bo Bichette in free agency. That put them third on the list of teams with a chance, with the Blue Jays at the top with -211 odds and the Atlanta Braves next with +500 odds.

MLB's website has compared the contracts received by shortstops Dansby Swanson (seven years $177 million) and Willy Adames (seven years $182 million) as a possible benchmark for the contract offers that Bichette can receive. All three teams, the Blue Jays, the Braves, and the Yankees, can offer him that sum.

Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy