THE Chicago Cubs were linked to Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette in trade discussions this week. Bichette, who is coming off another All-Star season, has two years left on his current contract, which is pretty affordable. This means that any trade for Bichette would be quite expensive.
Bichette is 26 years old and is cut .306/.339/.475 with 3.8 WAR. He was also an above average defensive shortstop and frankly an absolute stud for the Toronto Blue Jays. Why, then, would he be on the trading block?
The Blue Jays must decide whether to re-sign Matt Chapman this offseason. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also expected to hit free agency with Bichette in two years. If Ross Atkins doesn’t believe he can sign both, then cashing in on Bo might make sense.
Nonetheless, I would consider this transaction a long-term one despite the reports below:
Update on a Bo Bichette trade scenario, by @matt_cozzi. Here’s a point to ponder: How would a Bichette to Cubs trade impact how Ohtani views these two potential suitors? @MLBNetwork https://t.co/1wp8ddbkw5
– Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 22, 2023
This is not the first time Morosi has brought up Bichette’s name in trade negotiations. Last December, he discussed the possibility of a deal with Bichette on 670 The Score in Chicago:
“No one told me, ‘Hey, Bo Bichette is available,’ but like a lot of things in this industry, if you get closer to free agency and there’s no news of an extension ( contract) in place, people start asking, people start asking questions,” Morosi said. He would go on to specifically mention the Cubs as suitors, which made sense.
The Blue Jays, like most teams, are ready to listen to commercial offers for most of the players on their roster, even a double All-Star like Bichette. It’s like they’ve been getting calls about him, especially as his extension date approaches. FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray also discussed this topic:
“I am of the opinion that a trade with Bichette is unlikely. What the Blue Jays probably do is listen to any trade request regarding Bichette, which is what every team does with any of their players,” Murray said.
However, Murray added that it would take a pretty big offer for a team to trade for a player of Bichette’s caliber.
“Perhaps the Blue Jays will be blown away by an offer that entices them to move on from the star player. But the price to pay to acquire Bichette, who signed at an affordable price for the next two seasons, looks high and could make the deal difficult to close.” Murray continued.
Bleacher Nation’s Brett Taylor wrote an excellent article on the Bichette trade rumor and what he heard regarding the situation at play:
“Did I see the KFidds tweet when it was first posted a few days ago? I saw it. Did I ask around to see if there was any smoke there? I did (especially hearing that, yes, maybe it was light conversation, but don’t go crazy),” Taylor said.
For now, it appears these trade talks don’t matter. Yes, maybe Bichette has been discussed among team executives, but that doesn’t mean an offer has been made, and it certainly doesn’t mean the Blue Jays star will play third base in Chicago l ‘next year.
Get back to your Thanksgiving business, folks.
