Bo Bichette, Blue Jays finalize $33.6M, 3-year contract

Associated Press
Updated ·1 min read
FILE - Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette watches his single during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Toronto on Sept. 15, 2022. The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with Bichette on a three-year contract, avoiding arbitration, the team announced Thursday, Feb. 9. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
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TORONTO (AP) — Infielder Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a salary arbitration by finalizing a $33.6 million, three-year contract on Thursday.

Bichette gets a $3.25 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the contract's approval by the commissioner's office and salaries of $2.85 million this year, $11 million in 2024 and $16.5 million in 2025.

His salary would escalate in all following seasons by $2.25 million for winning an MVP award, by $1.25 million for finishing second or third in the voting and by $250,000 for finishing fourth or fifth.

The 24-year-old, a son of former All-Star Dante Bichette, hit .290 with 43 doubles, 24 home runs, and 93 RBIs last year. He was an All-Star in 2021, when he batted .298 with 29 homers and 102 RBIs.

He had asked for a raise from $723,500 to $7.5 million and had been offered $5 million, matching the largest gap among 33 players and teams who swapped proposed salaries last month.

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