On Wednesday night, I watched Game 5 of the World Series and was so impressed by Bo Bichette's play for the Toronto Blue Jays that I put a post out on social media lamenting the fact that he won't be a Seattle Mariners player in 2026. He is a free agent, and that night, I wished the Mariners would make a run at him, though I knew the money would end up being too great.

On Thursday, that thought continued, and I wrote a piece here at Roundtable about why Bichette was a great fit, and I continued to lament that the Mariners won't make a run at him. I'm leaving that post up for accountability and because I believe in standing by what you've written.

That said, I believe people can evolve, change, and learn based on new information or new opinions. I just don't usually do it so quickly.

About 10 hours after I wrote that piece, I went to record the latest "Refuse to Lose" podcast, and by the time I hit record, I had talked myself out of Bichette being a fit for the Mariners, at least long-term.

Again, the money will be too great that it won't really matter, but I still had fun with the thought exercise.

Why I've changed my thoughts:

From the latest episode:

By all accounts, Bo Bichette is viewed by some teams as a third baseman moving forward. So he's got the age profile, he's got the defensive profile of a third baseman, and he answers a lot of the offensive questions for the Mariners, at least in the short term.

He's led the American League in hits twice. He's a .294 career hitter. We talk about the team needing to make more contact. We talked about the team needing to be better at putting the ball in play. Well, Bo Bichette struck out 14.5% of the time this year. The league average is in the mid-20s. Bo Bichette struck out 14.5% of the time. On the surface, he makes a lot of sense....

So...... you're asking me where things changed for me?

Well, let's start here: Bo Bichette's power has regressed almost every year, even though he's still young. He hit 29 home runs in 2021, 24 in 2022, 20 in 2023 and 18 this year. If his power continues to fall, as it likely will over the next six or seven years, then what is he?

From moments later in the podcast:

There's questions about his defense, he doesn't run. If he doesn't hit for power, then what is he? He's JP Crawford with the ability to hit more doubles.

Bo Bichette hit 44 doubles this year, that's awesome. I would love to have that. And if you told me I could get Bo Bichette on a really expensive 3-year deal, I'd take it in a heartbeat. Seven years though, I'd be very worried about how Bo Bichette's going to age. So, I wrote the piece, I put the tweet out there. I do want Bo Bichette for the Mariners in 2026. But long-term, I've talked myself out of it at this point.

You can listen to the full podcast in the player below:

Will the Jays Change Mariners Offense + Bo Bichette Thoughts + How the M's Can Turn Heartbreak into Happiness Refuse to Lose - a Seattle Mariners Podcast · Episode

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