Bo Bichette Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors, Blue Jays' Rocky Start to 2024 (2024)

If the Toronto Blue Jays want the trade chatter to stop, they should start by digging themselves out of last place.

The American League East cellar has been all theirs for over three weeks, and it isn't just slugging first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who could be on the move if things don't improve. Star shortstop Bo Bichette is also a trade candidate.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported as much on May 20, writing that one AL executive "believes it's possible" Guerrero or Bichette could get traded ahead of the July 30 deadline.

"I don't think they're opposed to it," the exec told Feinsand. "They've talked to teams about it. The asks were ridiculous, but I think they're going to try to retool a lot, and using those guys to get pieces may be the way to do it."

If we're going to do that, the first order of business is assessing his trade value.

As is also true of Guerrero, Bichette's trade value is in a weird spot.

Though he's a .295 career hitter with 162-game averages of 26 home runs and 15 stolen bases, Bichette has hit only .249/.294/.377 in 80 games since missing time with with patellar tendinitis and a quad strain last August. And he needs to hit, as he's not much of a defender.

But with a .347 average over his last 18 contests, the two-time All-Star seems to be finding his stroke again. And that's just one element of his appeal.

Bichette is only 26 years old and, unlike Guerrero, comes with baked-in cost certainty.

Whereas Guerrero is earning $19.9 million this year with another year of arbitration-eligibility coming in 2025, Bichette is signed for a total of $29.7 million for 2024 and 2025. Barring an extension, he'll reach free agency after the latter season.

According to Baseball Trade Values, his surplus value is $24.3 million. That's more than twice Guerrero's and enough to make him worth at least one top-100 type in a trade.

That 2024 is turning out to be a great year for shortstops could complicate the Blue Jays' efforts to find a buyer if they do shop Bichette, but there's still room to speculate on places where he could fit.

So, let's rank his 10 best potential fits and pitch trade proposals for the top five.

Note: All farm system and prospect rankings are courtesy of B/R's Joel Reuter.

10. Boston Red Sox

Record: 28-27, 3rd in AL East

Current Shortstop: David Hamilton

It's hard to imagine the Blue Jays trading Bichette to an AL East rival, much less one that only has one foot in contention. But since the Red Sox are without Trevor Story and getting an MLB-low .423 OPS from second base, they're worth thinking about anyway.

9. San Diego Padres

Record: 30-28, 3rd in NL West

Current Shortstop: Ha-Seong Kim

The Padres have already made one big trade for Luis Arraez, and that was before Xander Bogaerts fractured his shoulder. But unless the Padres come to expect he won't be back this season, they might simply wait on Bogaerts' return.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 25-29, 4th in NL West

Current Shortstop: Kevin Newman

The Diamondbacks have only gotten a .675 OPS from shortstop, so one need not squint to see how Bichette could help. But they can just as easily wait on internal options, be it the injured Geraldo Perdomo or top prospect Jordan Lawlar.

7. Kansas City Royals

Record: 34-22, 2nd in AL Central

Current Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt is doing just fine at shortstop, thank you very much, and Michael Massey was having a solid year at second base before he hurt his back. It nonetheless feels like the Royals need another hitter, and Bichette would fit well both in their lineup and at Kauffman Stadium.

6. Minnesota Twins

Record: 30-24, 3rd in AL Central

Current Shortstop: Carlos Correa

Correa is likewise doing just fine at shortstop, but Edouard Julien has lately been tanking at second base. He's only hitting .176 since April 28. If he wears out the Twins' patience, there could be sense in trading for Bichette and moving him to the keystone.

Record: 31-21, 2nd in NL East

Current Shortstop: Orlando Arcia

"Atlanta needs an impact hitter" is not something I expected to type this year, but that's the reality of its situation.

The Atlanta offense was having a rough go of it even before Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his left ACL on Sunday. Though Jon Morosi of MLB.com doesn't expect the team to trade for an outfielder to replace the reigning NL MVP, maybe it could force an upgrade elsewhere?

This is a reach, but shortstop would be the obvious target if Atlanta went that route. Though Orlando Arcia is a darn good defender who's tallied 11 Outs Above Average across the last two seasons, he's also just a .239/.284/.407 hitter since last year's All-Star break.

Bichette's offensive ceiling goes a lot higher than that, and a trade for him would force Arcia into a defensive replacement role for which he's well suited.

Trade Proposal: Atlanta gets SS Bo Bichette; Toronto Blue Jays get RHP Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta No. 3, MLB No. 73), SS Nacho Alvarez Jr. (Atlanta No. 7)

This is a fair swap on paper. But since Atlanta stands to lose Max Fried and Charlie Morton from its rotation this winter, it might want to hold on to as many pitching prospects as it can. And Waldrep is a good one, boasting both powerful stuff and improving control.

Record: 37-18, 1st in AL Central

Current Shortstop: Brayan Rocchio

The Guardians just keep winning games, as they're following a 19-10 run through March and April with an 18-8 record in May.

Save for José Ramírez, however, Cleveland's lineup has been having a tough time this month. It's hitting just .229 as a team.

It's therefore only becoming clearer that the offense will need an impact bat (or two) before the trade deadline. There's no better spot to put one than shortstop. No thanks to Brayan Rocchio, the Guardians rank 28th out of 30 teams with a .538 OPS from the position.

That's where Bichette would come into play, though he could probably also provide more punch from the No. 2 hole than the Guardians have gotten from Andrés Giménez.

Trade Proposal: Cleveland Guardians get SS Bo Bichette; Toronto Blue Jays get OF Jaison Chourio (Guardians No. 3, MLB No. 97), 2B Juan Brito (Guardians No. 4), LHP Alex Clemmey (Guardians No. 5)

This is another package that works on paper, but it's not ideal for Toronto that it doesn't include Chase DeLauter or Kyle Manzardo. And even if Bichette isn't owed a ton through 2025, but it's not a small chunk of change by Guardians standards. They rank 25th in payroll.

Record: 35-22, 1st in AL West

Current Shortstop: Mookie Betts

So, it turns out Mookie Betts is a pretty good shortstop.

His 3.8 rWAR is the best of any shortstop, and it's not strictly because of his .966 OPS. He's also among the top defenders at the position with four Defensive Runs Saved.

The Dodgers nonetheless need to think about adding depth to their lineup, which gets very thin, very fast after their excellent front five. And with just a .611 OPS attached to it, second base is primed for something better.

L.A. would be staying within its playbook if it traded for Bichette and moved him to second base. But since Betts showed last year that he's just as capable at second as he is at short, the Dodgers could just as easily move him to the keystone.

Trade Proposal: Los Angeles Dodgers get SS Bo Bichette, RHP Yimi García; Toronto Blue Jays get OF Josue De Paula (Dodgers No. 3, MLB No. 71)

A one-for-one swap of Bichette and De Paula doesn't quite work, so it's a good thing the Dodgers also need a reliever. But if it's near-term upside the Blue Jays want, De Paula won't be their guy. He's only 19 and hasn't exactly been dominating Single-A ball.

Record: 30-26, 1st in AL West

Current Shortstop: J.P. Crawford

The Mariners are in first place, but whether they'll stay there will come down to their offense.

It's done next to nothing to help the cause, producing an average of 3.7 runs per game to rank 27th out of 30 teams. And with Jorge Polanco having gone on the injured list with a tight hamstring, Seattle's offense is down a key man.

Of course, Polanco was a key man only in the abstract. It's largely because of him that the Mariners' second basem*n have just a .618 OPS, as he was hitting only .195 with a .595 OPS.

This is to imply that Bichette would play second in deference to J.P. Crawford, a good defender who had a .380 OBP last year. In any case, Bichette's 14.4 strikeout percentage would be welcome in an offense that has a league-high 27.7 K%.

Trade Proposal: Seattle Mariners get SS Bo Bichette; Toronto Blue Jays get SS Colt Emerson (Mariners No. 3, MLB No. 44)

Now we're getting somewhere, as this trade would effectively see the Blue Jays trading for Bichette's heir apparent. But it's also another that's not a near-term play. Emerson is only 18 and a year removed from going to the Mariners with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 draft.

Record: 29-27, 2nd in NL West

Current Shortstop: Brett Wisely

Though the Giants have come alive with 12 wins in their last 16 games, it's still not clear what the plan is at shortstop.

The position has produced just 0.1 rWAR this year. Nick Ahmed only ever looked like a stopgap solution, and he's on the IL with a sprained wrist. Marco Luciano briefly got a shot, but he is now in a timeshare with Wisely.

The word "tenuous" comes to mind, but it doesn't have to be this way. Especially if their current momentum keeps up, the Giants should have Bichette on their radar.

He'd certainly be an offensive upgrade, and reteaming him with Matt Chapman on the left side of the infield could be good for his defense. In Toronto, Chapman's range at third base took some pressure off Bichette.

Trade Proposal: San Francisco Giants get SS Bo Bichette; Toronto Blue Jays get SS Marco Luciano (Giants No. 1, MLB No. 54), LHP Carson Whisenhunt (Giants No. 3)

If Luciano is more of a project than the Giants have time and patience for right now, then trading him isn't the worst idea. He'd be able to step right into Bichette's shoes in Toronto, which would also get a near-MLB-ready hurler in Whisenhunt.