The Toronto Blue Jays, fresh off the organization's first American League pennant since 1993, were arguably one of the most-improved teams of the offseason.

The Blue Jays made multiple additions to their starting rotation (Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce), added a unique and effective arm to their bullpen (Tyler Rogers) and bolstered their infield with a high-floor infielder who could end up being one of overlooked gems of the offseason (third baseman Kazuma Okamoto).

Even with those additions, there is a sense that Toronto could have done more this offseason.

The Blue Jays were linked the entire winter to the top hitters available on the open market, including outfielder Kyle Tucker, third baseman Alex Bregman and shortstop Bo Bichette.

Tucker joined the team that beat Toronto in the World Series, the back-to-back champs the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs and Bichette opted to head to the Big Apple and join the New York Mets on a three-year, $126 million deal.

Losing Bichette, specifically, stung a little bit for Jays fans.

The shortstop, who will play third base for the Mets according to a report from MLB.com's Jared Greenspan (via a report from insider Jon Heyman), had spent his entire career in Canada beforehand.

Bichette made his major league debut in 2019 with Toronto. He debuted the same season as franchise superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the two seemed set to be the faces of the organization for years to come.

The Blue Jays locked down Guerrero for the next decade-plus with a 14-year, $500 million contract signed last offseason.

As it pertains to a potential extension or new contract with Bichette, it seemed to be a matter of unfortunate circumstances and poor timing between the two sides, per one columnist.

"Put me back in 2019 and I'm signing Bo and (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies contracts that's for sure," Toronto Star columnist Mike Wilner said on the Foul Territory podcast Jan. 16. " ... (The Blue Jays) could have saved themselves hundreds of millions of dollars by being more proactive and by having more faith in their players, for sure. As for the most recent extension talks, if it rubbed Bo the wrong way then he's got to look at himself, and I don't think it did. Coming off a year like Bo had in 2024, after he missed half the season hurt, hit .225 and had the worst year of his career, there's no way to sign him for an extension. If the Blue Jays made an offer there, it would have been way short of what Bo wanted and rightfully so. If Bo had come in with his number it would have been crazy-high coming off the injuries and the year. ... As far as an extension last winter, there just would have been no number that was remotely close for both sides."

Wilner did say that Toronto could have begun negotiations at the All-Star break this past year when it became clear that Bichette was back to his typical form. But whether it was due to the Blue Jays having an eye toward the upcoming free agent class, or being overtly cautious, the team opted to hold out.

This past season, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with an .840 OPS in 139 games. He hit 44 doubles, a triple and 18 home runs with 94 RBIs. His .311 batting average was second in the majors behind American League MVP Aaron Judge.

Bichette missed most of the playoffs due to a knee injury but returned for the World Series, where he was one of the Blue Jays' best hitters. He slashed .348/.444/.478 with a .972 OPS in seven World Series games, hit a homer and had six RBIs.

Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!