Now just one year away from free agency, the chances of All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette entering the open market and potentially leaving the Toronto Blue Jays have grown increasingly high.

Both sides are unlikely to agree on a long-term extension this winter following a miserable season that saw Bichette limited to 81 games and deliver career lows at the plate, including a .225/.277/.322 slash line and 71 wRC+, 29 per cent below league average (100). As a result, he only ended up being worth 0.3 fWAR — another career worst.

Moving forward, the 26-year-old superstar will probably decide to bet on himself rather than sign a new deal at a diminished price coming off a disappointing season, and who could blame him? The potential impact of bouncing back in 2025 could mean a difference of hundreds of millions involving his next contract.

If Bichette regains his All-Star form next season, returning to the hitter who was consistently 20 per cent or better than league average per wRC+ from 2020-23, he could have an opportunity to sit among the sport’s highest-paid shortstops around this time next year. That’d put him alongside Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Bobby Witt Jr., Trea Turner and Carlos Correa as $200-million-plus shortstops.

However, it remains to be seen if the Blue Jays will be the ones to pay him that lucrative contract — a massive question they’re also facing with fellow franchise cornerstone Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s also eligible for free agency next winter.

Bichette holds all the leverage, as does Guerrero’s camp. The harsh reality is that both could look to maximize their values by becoming free agents after the 2025 campaign, though that’s a reality this organization can’t afford to let come to fruition. Nevertheless, until either puts pen to paper, the possibility of losing one or both in a year’s time will continue to loom over the front office.

Toronto finds itself at a crossroads this winter, particularly with Bichette. There’s a strong indication he won’t be moved this off-season. Barring a first-half collapse similar to this past season’s, management probably won’t be interested in trading the two-time All-Star during the season, either. So, even if they were open to searching for a potential successor at shortstop, doing so via trade appears very unlikely.

The front office may be able to locate one in this year’s free-agent corps, though.

Despite a relatively thin middle-infield market, Milwaukee’s Willy Adames and San Diego’s Ha-Seong Kim are potential targets that could draw considerable interest. Not only would either player improve next season’s roster, but they could also easily slide over to shortstop in 2026 if Bichette departs.

In Adames’ case, landing the Brewers shortstop in free agency — a feat that wouldn’t come cheap — would almost certainly eliminate any chance of extending Bichette beyond ’25. But, as many will argue, the Blue Jays are nearing that reality as it is — if it hasn’t already arrived.

As lucrative as it’d be to sign Adames, the 29-year-old slugger is precisely what Toronto’s offence requires — more power. He would be just what the doctor ordered. As a two-time former 30-plus home-run threat, the right-handed-hitting infielder would slot in perfectly behind Guerrero as a middle-of-the-order thumper. Plus, he’s coming off a career year.

Along with logging a career-high 161 games played, the bat-first shortstop also launched the most doubles (33) and home runs (32) of his seven major-league seasons, worth a career-best 4.8 fWAR. Among qualified big-league shortstops (min. 500 plate appearances), he finished tied for third in round-trippers, placing sixth in isolated power (.211), seventh in wRC+ (119) and ninth in SLG (.462).

If that weren’t enough, Adames also stole 21 bases, the most of his career by a significant margin. Topping things off, he delivered one of his most disciplined performances, posting his lowest strikeout rate (25.1 per cent), his second-highest walk rate (10.8 per cent) and his lowest chase rate (28.1 per cent) since 2021.

Granted, Adames has only spent 77 of his 7,508.1 career innings at a position other than shortstop, occasionally shifting to second base with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. So, pairing him on a team that also features Bichette may be an awkward fit, at least initially. At the same time, he seems more than capable of playing the hot corner, even if it’s only for one season.

That plan, of course, was something the Brewers reportedly considered after acquiring Joey Ortiz, a natural shortstop, as part of last winter’s Corbin Burnes blockbuster. But they ultimately decided against it, instead moving the 26-year-old rookie to third.

After registering plus-17 defensive runs saved at short from 2022-23, Adames didn’t fare as well in that category a season ago, finishing with a career-worst minus-16. He also didn’t receive much help from his outs above average or fielding run value metrics, recording plus-one and zero, respectively. Over the previous two seasons, though, he earned plus-26 OAA and a plus-20 FRV.

While that significant decline is tough to overlook, one reason to feel optimistic about Adames potentially moving to third is his arm strength, which has ranked in the top third percentile of the majors in three of the last four seasons since 2021.

Speaking of infield defence, look no further than Kim, who was a Gold Glove finalist in ’22 and won his first career award the following season in the NL’s utility player category.

Kim is among baseball’s most elite defenders. Not just as a shortstop but at second and third base, too.

Most of his tenure with the Padres has been spent at short, where he’s produced plus-24 DRS since his MLB debut in 2021, tied for fifth-most among qualified big-league shortstops (min. 1,000 innings). But he’s excelled at second and third, as well, combining for plus-24 DRS and plus-10 OAA between those positions.

Though, that’s probably about as much as most of you want to learn about Kim’s defence. That being said, as much value as he’s generated in the field, he’s also made a considerable impact at the plate over the last few seasons.

The 29-year-old struggled offensively in his first year after leaving South Korea but adjusted quite well over his next two seasons, particularly against left-handed pitching, as the right-handed infielder slashed .287/.372/.460 and earned a 135 wRC+ across nearly 400 plate appearances. He also came close to recording more walks than strikeouts, as evidenced by his 11.6-per-cent walk and 12.9-per-cent strikeout rates.

Toronto’s offence wouldn’t gain a middle-of-the-order bat by signing Kim — who’s expected to decline his $8-million mutual option for 2025 in favour of a $2-million buyout — like it would with Adames joining the fold. But one advantage they’d likely have is his contract almost certainly wouldn’t preclude a Bichette extension from happening.

After recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Kim, whose 2024 season was cut short last August, will likely begin ’25 on the injured list while recovering from his procedure. As such, he’ll probably be seeking a short-term, option-laden contract that’d allow him to re-enter free agency either next winter or the following off-season, especially now as a Scott Boras client.

The Blue Jays could also decide to take option No. 3: don’t acquire an insurance policy for Bichette this winter, let next season play out and revisit contract negotiations during the off-season. If the situation doesn’t materialize into an extension and he signs elsewhere, then, depending on where the franchise is as a whole at that point, either hit the reset button or fill the shortstop position with short-term options until Orelvis Martinez or Arjun Nimmala can take over full-time.

But there’d be plenty of risk involved in that path, too. It may take more than one season for either of those young infielders to be ready for that type of role, especially with Nimmala. There’s also no guarantee they’ll be capable of assuming everyday responsibilities upon finishing the triple-A level.

The simplest solution is retaining Bichette beyond 2025, albeit presenting a not-so-simple pathway for the Blue Jays. Unless something changes, it’d be dangerous not to explore backup plans amid the superstar shortstop’s uncertain future in Toronto.