Bo Bichette challenges Blue Jays ahead of new 2024 season

Bo Bichette issued a bit of a challenge to his Toronto Blue Jays teammates during an appearance on the Blair & Barker podcast on Wednesday.

“At the end of the day, we’re not a young team anymore,” the Blue Jays’ star shortstop said.

“The whole excuse of growing and learning and all that, it’s out the window. It’s time to be grown. I think we’ve been through enough experience at this point. Not to say that what we’ve gone through isn’t a great experience. But saying we’re learning, saying we’re growing (and) that kind of stuff, I think that’s over. It’s time to get it done.

“We’ve talked a lot about how good we are. We’ve said things like that plenty of times from the team as a whole or as individuals separately. It’s just time to put the work in and see what we’re capable of.”

There has to be a sense of urgency after two straight wild-card exits. What’s more, stars like Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jordan Romano are eligible for unrestricted free agency after two more seasons.

With the contract situation of some of their top players likely in mind, the Blue Jays made a big push for Shohei Ohtani this off-season.

That, of course, didn’t work out as Ohtani signed a record contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Bichette doesn’t see that as an excuse, either.

“Ohtani, I was definitely invested, so I felt the pain that I saw the fanbase was feeling,” Bichette, 25, said. “To be able to play with a player like that was something that obviously excited everybody.

“But at the end of the day with our team, there’s no doubt in my mind we have everything we need to win. It comes down to everybody living up to their potential. I haven’t done what I’m capable of doing. The team hasn’t done what it’s capable of doing. There’s another level of professionalism, discipline and consistency we need to get to. I believe if we do that, we have everything we need now.”

That’s not to say Bichette wouldn’t like the Blue Jays to bring in a bat or two.

He mentioned two free agents by name.

“There are great players out there. Justin Turner and J.D. Martinez are two guys that come to my mind, veteran bats that can help not just on the field but off the field as well,” he said.

Bichette said his main focus this off-season is on making sure he can stay healthy the entire season. He missed some key time down the stretch with a quad injury last year.

Bichette played 135 games last year, down from 159 each of the previous two seasons.

“It’s just going to take a lot more discipline and consistency with all the stuff that is not seen,” he said.

“People see the ground balls and the hitting, but they don’t see the rest of the stuff it takes to stay healthy, and those are things I can honestly say I didn’t do a good enough job of.”