Though he was just placed on the 10-day Injured List with a calf strain, Bo Bichette has found himself in the rumour mill this weekend.
According to an article from Bob Nightengale in USA Today, the star shortstop has said that he would welcome a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays.
“Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has told friends that he would welcome a trade, while first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. badly wants to stay in Toronto and is open to signing a long-term extension.”
Both Bo and Vlad are set to reach free agency for the first time in their respective careers following the 2025 season. Guerrero has expressed his interest in signing a long-term contract with the Blue Jays multiple times in the past but admitted at the All-Star Game in Texas that the two sides aren’t close on a deal.
Bichette has never said publicly that he wants to leave Toronto but a comment that he made before a game against the San Francisco Giants a few weeks ago caused a stir about his future with the Blue Jays. A Bay Area reporter asked Bichette about his thoughts on potentially playing in San Francisco and he said that his top priority in choosing a team is whether or not they’re a winner.
The Blue Jays have made the playoffs three times in the Bo and Vlad era but were swept in each of those appearances. The team came into this season with aspirations of ending their October drought but they won’t make it that far this time. Toronto currently owns a 44-54 record and they’re nine-and-a-half games back of the third wild-card spot in the American League standings.
Nightengale talked more about the Blue Jays and their situation later in the article and offered a similar report to what’s been said about the team over the past month, which is that they’re going to sell impending free agents this summer and retool in the winter for the 2025 season. He added that trading Bichette at this time is “highly unlikely.”
“The Toronto Blue Jays, baseball’s most underachieving team, will do plenty of selling at the deadline before they do some firing in the offseason.
They are expected to trade pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, catcher Danny Jansen and DH Justin Turner – and could entertain offers for Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman.
But are they willing to go all of the way and trade Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette too?
Highly unlikely.
They still want to keep the team together one more year, but if they’re still underperforming a year from now, they’ll be dumped at next year’s trade deadline.”