TORONTO — Infielder Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a salary arbitration by finalizing a $33.6 million, three-year contract on Thursday.
Bichette gets a $3.25 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of the contract’s approval by the commissioner’s office and salaries of $2.85 million this year, $11 million in 2024 and $16.5 million in 2025.
His salary would escalate in all following seasons by $2.25 million for winning an MVP award, by $1.25 million for finishing second or third in the voting and by $250,000 for finishing fourth or fifth.
The 24-year-old, a son of former All-Star Dante Bichette, hit .290 with 43 doubles, 24 home runs, and 93 RBIs last year. He was an All-Star in 2021, when he batted .298 with 29 homers and 102 RBIs.
He had asked for a raise from $723,500 to $7.5 million and had been offered $5 million, matching the largest gap among 33 players and teams who swapped proposed salaries last month.
