With the MLB lockout preventing team employees from interacting with players, Dante Bichette put his relationship with his son Bo Bichette first by resigning from his position with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays shortstop explained the decision in an interview with Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker saying that his father wanted to work with him.
“Yeah, the father-son relationship comes first so my dad resigned from that job to be able to work with me and not have that affect anything,” Bichette said on Blair and Barker Wednesday night. “So we’ll see happens in the future. But yeah, for right now. He’s taken. You know, he wants to be with me as my teammate.”
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With players not able to work with their clubs during the lockout, Bichette has been working out in a batting cage his father put together and also has a baseball field beside his parents’ house and his high school. This has allowed him to stay ready for when the lockout ends and players have to report for spring training.
A big topic of conversation this off-season has been the upcoming contract talks with Bichette and teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as both will be due hefty pay raises. For Bichette, he isn’t in a rush to put pen to paper on a new deal.
“I’m not opposed to it, but I also am very confident in my ability and I’m not in a rush to do anything. So, you know, we’ll see what happens at the CBA and everything like that,” Bichette said about his contract. “It could change a lot of things. Who knows? But you know, for me, like not in a rush. I enjoy the organization. We have a great team. So I’ll have my ears open. But at this point in my career, I’m in no rush to make that happen.”
The Blue Jays fell short of the playoffs last season, losing out on the final day of the regular season. Bichette believes the team has the mentality to get off to a strong start which will be crucial to their battle for a playoff spot.
“I think just continue to play hard. I mean, we’re all working hard this off-season. I think playing hard honestly is one of the most underestimated things really just givng it all you got,” Bichette said. “I think an untalented team can win a lot of games doing that. And obviously, we have a lot of talent. So I think if we combine the talent and just go out there and give everything we have, leaving nothing on the table, I think we should be in a good spot.”
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