The Atlanta Braves have been busy this week, adding outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on a two-year deal and bolstering the bullpen by signing Robert Suarez to a three-year contract.
And yet, one of the biggest names linked to Atlanta remains stuck in neutral.
Bo Bichette’s market has been unusually quiet for a player of his profile, and that silence is becoming harder to ignore. Despite being mentioned by multiple insiders as a potential impact target at shortstop, there has been little visible movement around Bichette, even as teams around him continue to make decisions.
MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi suggested that if the Braves make another significant move, it would likely be for an everyday shortstop rather than depth, even floating Bichette’s name as a possibility. That alone underscores how Bichette is being viewed around the league: not as a fallback option, but as a true roster-shaping piece.
What makes the quiet more notable is how many other decisions appear to hinge on it.
The Braves, for instance, have addressed outfield and bullpen needs but remain noncommittal at shortstop. Atlanta has also l eft the door open to a reunion with Ha-Seong Kim, whose market has stalled, suggesting teams are waiting for clarity elsewhere.
Boston is another key part of the picture. Bichette reportedly met with the Red Sox recently and came away impressed, according to local reporting. The Red Sox have been linked to Bichette as an alternative path if they cannot retain Alex Bregman, and the positional flexibility that would follow only adds another layer of complexity. Until Boston commits one way or the other, the ripple effects remain on hold.
That dynamic helps explain why the noise around Bichette has been so muted. Teams appear interested, but no one is rushing to blink first. Bichette is effectively functioning as the hinge point of the shortstop market, with clubs weighing whether to wait for a higher ceiling move or pivot to safer, more limited options.
The longer that standoff continues, the clearer it becomes that this is not a lack of interest. It is a market feeling its way forward, carefully and deliberately.
Eventually, someone will move. When Bichette does land, it may not just resolve one roster question, but finally unstick an entire segment of the offseason that has been quietly waiting on him.
