Could the Blue Jays trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette?
It appears the Toronto Blue Jays front office is staying busy this offseason. While they haven’t made any big moves, other teams are calling regarding superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
Don’t bother clicking the link since it’s behind a paywall, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the news Tuesday; he also mentions Astros star Alex Bregman being a potential trade target, so there’s plenty to keep an eye on this offseason.
Rosenthal said it doesn’t make sense for the Blue Jays to trade them. However, neither player is locked up long-term, and Guerrero Jr. and Bichette are two years away from free agency.
According to TSN’s Scott Mitchell, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins shut down the rumors, referencing Bichette.
“(Bo)’s a really good player in a market that doesn’t have a great deal of position players,” Atkins said, via TSN’s Scott Mitchell. “We are very fortunate to have him, and he is our shortstop moving forward. Rumors, speculation, there’s usually something (to that), but in our case, Bo is our shortstop moving forward.”
Via Scott Mitchell
Bichette is coming off his second All-Star appearance of his career. He collected 175 hits, 20 home runs and a .814 OPS in 135 games. Bichette also heavily improved his defensive game, making 15 fewer errors than he did in 2022. He also collected five defensive runs saved, a huge improvement from the minus-16 he produced in 2022.
Bichette will make about $12.1 million next season, according to Spotrac.
Guerrero Jr. made his third straight All-Star appearance, but his numbers took a dip. His .788 OPS was the lowest since his rookie year, and he struggled defensively with minus-6 defensive runs saved.
Guerrero still has great power, as he finished 89th percentile or better in hard-hit percentage and exit velocity, per Baseball Savant. Spotrac projects his upcoming arbitration salary to be $18.3 million.
Even if it meant signing Shohei Ohtani, the Blue Jays would be out of their minds to trade Vladdy and Bichette. This team is a lot better than their record has shown, and it would be a shame to see the Blue Jays give up so quickly.
If Atkins really parted ways with the two players, the return better be a massive one. The Blue Jays are still young, and keeping Guerrero Jr. and Bichette together is what this team needs.
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