The New York Yankees should steer clear of this player in MLB free agency.
The New York Yankees clearly need to make some changes this offseason, and while some fans want them to take drastic measures, some of the suggestions are a bit overboard.
I keep seeing the Yankees linked to shortstop Bo Bichette in free agency, which, from a numbers perspective, makes sense on paper.
After all, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI over 628 plate appearances in 2025. He also only struck out 91 times, and with so much of the Bronx faithful begging New York to add players who don't whiff, Bichette certainly fits the profile.
But what many Yankees fans, media pundits (mostly outside of New York) and oddsmakers don't seem to understand is that Bichette is a terrible defensive player that the Yanks shouldn't be touching with a 10-foot pole in free agency.
For all of the talk about how bad Anthony Volpe was at shortstop in 2025, he looked like a Gold Glover compared to Bichette, who managed a minus-12 DRS and minus-13 OAA this past season.
It's not like this was one-off for Bichette, either. He has also been a bad fielder, and Yankees fans shouldn't look any further than the 2024 World Series to see what they can do to a team.
Yes, Bichette is a very good hitter. He owns a lifetime .806 OPS and has made a pair of All-Star teams because of his bat. His incredibly odd .598 OPS over an injury-plagued 2024 campaign notwithstanding, Bichette is one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball.
But his lack of defensive acumen makes him a very dangerous pickup on the open market, especially considering he could land a lengthy contract that approaches $200 million.
Chances are, Bichette will just re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays anyway, and I'm not even sure how much interest Brian Cashman will have in him as it is. Probably not much, if any at all.
But I have seen New York connected to Bichette numerous times already, and it just doesn't make any concrete sense.
Some have even suggested moving Bichette to second base, where he has never played before. That's a pretty big risk on that type of money, and even still, the Yanks already have Jazz Chisholm there, who has more pop than Bichette and is a far better defender (and Chisholm himself isn't exactly a Gold Glove-caliber fielder).
There will be plenty of bats for the Yankees to consider this winter, whether that comes via free agency or trade. Bichette should absolutely not be one of them.