The Blue Jays had some largely “exploratory” trade talks involving Bo Bichette early last offseason, TSN’s Scott Mitchell writes. This isn’t exactly new news, as multiple reports last November indicated that the shortstop’s name indeed come up in trade discussions, though those talks were portrayed as other teams checking on Bichette’s availability. Mitchell, however, specifies that “the Jays did indeed shop Bichette.”
As always, there’s plenty of gray area when parsing hot-stove terminology, as the distinction between actively trying to move Bichette and listening on Bichette trade offers could be pretty thin. Executives routinely discuss scores of players in trade talks with other clubs, just as a matter of due diligence in gauging interest. For instance, if Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins had learned that a rival club had a particular interest in Bichette and had a player or players that the Jays liked, Atkins might have been more inclined to “shop” Bichette in that particular direction in order to swing a favorable trade for Toronto. In any case, as Mitchell observes, revisiting any trade talks involving Bichette this winter could be difficult because the shortstop is coming off an injury-plagued down year, so the Blue Jays aren’t likely to land a premium return even if they did look to move Bichette.
More from around the AL East….
- “Some clear discord” developed between the Red Sox and Masataka Yoshida last April, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo writes, when Yoshida was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain. Yoshida chose to seek out second and third opinions on his sprain, which apparently didn’t sit well with the team, who felt the initial assessment (that Yoshida wouldn’t need surgery) was enough. Yoshida ended up not needing surgery, and spent a little more than six weeks on the IL before returning in mid-June. Between this situation and Yoshida’s displeasure at being a DH-only player who mostly faced only right-handed pitching, Cotillo wonders if both sides would benefit from a trade this winter. Such a move is easier said than done, of course, as Yoshida is owed $54MM over the 2025-27 seasons, and has been good (112 wRC+ in 1001 plate appearances) but not great over his two Major League seasons. Yoshida was also playing through a shoulder problem for much of 2024, which could represent another red flag for any interested trade suitors.
- Nestor Cortes is slated to throw between 20-30 times during a game of catch today, the Yankees left-hander told The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. This represents the first time Cortes has thrown since suffering a flexor strain in late September. Cortes said he was “feeling good” in his recovery to date, and “if my body responds and if my arm responds, we’ll try to be as quick as possible” in charting out a potential return to the mound. The Yankees would naturally need to advance to at least the ALCS in order to give Cortes any chance of pitching again in 2024, and even if New York does get deeper into October, it remains to be seen if Cortes will be able to be healthy enough to merit a roster spot.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
What would the Blue Jays want for Bichette
When healthy he is terrific
Orioles trade for him put him at Shortstop
Switch Henderson to Third and Westburg to second
That would mean to trade Holliday obviously but it would be interesting
Then again …
Canuckleball
Bo is one of the worst defensive shortstops in the majors. He is probably better off at 2nd. Henderson is a way better SS.
At this point, I have no idea what the Jays would want, but I can’t imagine they’d be willing to trade him because they’d be getting pennies on the dollar for what he should be worth.
In division would also make that trade hard to do.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Then it would make it easier to trade Holliday for Bichette
Keep Westburg at third and trade and move Bichette to second
Then again Blue Jays won’t want to trade with a divisional rival
hiflew
Except the Orioles and Blue Jays are not really division rivals. By the time Toronto is ready to be good again, Baltimore will probably be ready to start rebuilding again. Neither team is the Yankees that have the budget to compete every year.
MysteryWhiteBoy13
I would take the 5 or 6 years of control for Holliday plus for 1 season of Bichette, let the Orioles overpay for his services
Canuckleball
The Jays would take Holliday in a heart beat for 1 year of Bo.
They would never offer that. Holliday had a bad debut season, but he’s still only 20 years old. They wouldn’t sell him this quick or for that cheap a price. He still has a good chance to be a great one. They wouldn’t trade that for 1 year of a potentially still injured, good but not great SS.
SewaldSwansonSwoon
Hiflew, the O’s and Jays have a history of bad blood. From a Baltimore perspective, they are absolutely rivals.
hiflew
Seward – That’s true, but they are rivals in the dislike sense instead of the competitive sense. The Rockies don’t like the Diamondbacks either, but I wouldn’t call them competitive rivals right now either. Some years, yes…right now, no.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Well maybe trade someone for Bichette….the Orioles need a hitter and Bichette qualifies
Joemo
At this point, I’ll take a bag of balls for Yoshida. Free up the DH spot and leave the door wide open to start the Holy Roman Empire.
Redsoxx_62
I agree. Yoshida is a decent player, but the flexibility of not having a full time DH would be more beneficial than what Yoshida offers imo
letitbelowenstein
Nobody is taking Yoshi. He merely isn’t worth dealing a prospect or a solid player for and Boston would have to eat at least half of his contract.
johnsilver
It’s not like the Sox haven’t picked and chosen when to have a liability in the field in the past. SS, Lugo and rent-a-wreck. Jim Rice, because he complained, even tho Yaz was still GG calibre as a LF. lets not forget cora allowing kike hernandez to butcher SS for over half a season when Story was hurt cpl seasons back. Anyone pretty much could have done better, but not just everyone was tight with cora, which counts a lot with cora..
Salvi
letitbe:
“Nobody is taking Yoshi”
and
“isnt worth dealing a prospect or solid player for”.
Those two points are different.
Eat $30M and he’s gone. A change will do him good and he will probably flourish somewhere. Other teams arent blind and know he’s a very good hitter and for $8M a year, he’d be well worth it, even as a DH.
Move Yoshi and eat a large portion of the contract (Sox have done it before). Then shift Devers to DH. Get rid of a lefty bat and find a new home for Devers. It makes too much sense.
hiflew
Rockies will give you Kris Bryant for him.
ClevelandSteelEngines
Seems like the Red Sox org. is finished becoming genuinely annoying. Play Yoshida in OF more frequently and keep him in the lineup everyday as DH. I don’t care he’s bad defensively, they need to play him so he can do want he does in the box. There are a few more seasons and the lemon needs to be squeezed.
GASoxFan
There’s better hitters and better defenders who belong playing the field before Yoshida ever sees another defensive inning.
I’d be fine sending him down to AAA.
ClevelandSteelEngines
I’m hoping for them to rebuild his value, and you want to destroy it. hmmm.
MLB-1971
The Red Sox have MUCH better outfield options than Yoshida (offensively and defensively)! It is time to move him and erase Bloom’s mistake.
ClevelandSteelEngines
I said they need to play him. Some OF, more DH. The goal is to rebuild his value. If the team can rebuild his value then this won’t be an issue. Plus he’s good when gets on a roll.
GASoxFan
There’s no *need* to rebuild his value when the process to do that means you are making the team as a whole worse.
Despite what Henry wants you to believe, Boston has LOTS of cash available. It’s not like you’re working on a TB revenue stream and you need to rehabilitate the contract to move him. Boston could flat release him, eat all the money, and still have revenue to burn.
Fact is it was a gamble signing and bloom overpaid by a wide margin. You don’t hamstring your roster and put a subpar product on the field just so you can avoid eating a couple extra million on the deal
MLB-1971
If the Red Sox eat a significant portion on the contract, Yoshida can be traded. Almost anything can be sold at the right price whether real estate or players. The Red Sox may have to eat $30,000,000, but it might be worth it to free up the DH spot and some salary cap space.
CTS4
It doesn’t matter what happens with Bo or Vladdy, shapiro will screw it up …Horrendous GM.
bestone
You forgot his puppet Atkins…whatever…they know that Jays fans are wise to their ineptitude. We can only hope that the day after the World Series has been won, there will be a new GM, and front office.
jimmertee
If the Jays are smart, if they can’t get a haul in December at the meetings, they play Bichette until the 2025 trade deadline and try again to move him.
It’s not rocket science but I don’t want Shapiro, Atkins, Click and Lecava doing this deal.
bestone
They wouldn’t get a haul, unless there was some sign and trade deal made…or if it was to somewhere Bo would go to anyways like the Dodgers…
whyhayzee
The umpires are doing everything they can to help the Yankees beat the Royals, so there’s that.
Astros_fan_in_Aus
That “review” of the Chisholm steal to second was clearly wrong. He was out no matter how you look at it, and the fact that he then came around to score means the wrong call was costly for the Royals.
MysteryWhiteBoy13
Atkins botched another players value, they now have to either overpay on an extension, trade him for less than he’s worth in the off season or hope he has a great first half and still trade him for less than he’s worth at the deadline.
And obviously they will keep him and he will walk and join the Giants as the first big free agent they have signed in years.
Canuckleball
My guess is he goes at the deadline, assuming he’s healthy and productive and the Jays are out of it.
The interesting/annoying thing is what if the Jays are in the hunt at the deadline? They may have a hard time trading him if they’re trying to get a playoff spot. In that case, he probably just walks for free.
In fairness to Atkins though, once Bo started with the injuries, he couldn’t be traded. And prior to the injuries, he was the better extension candidate. The injuries really threw a monkey wrench into the Jays plans.
Atkins has made his share of blunders, but he can’t be blamed for failing to predict a string of injuries to a key player who had been the picture of health and reliability.
MysteryWhiteBoy13
That’s my guess also, but there is also no reason to think the Jays can’t win 86 games to sneak into the final wild card spot.
Up until this year, Bo was a pretty consistent really good player, even after getting hurt during the short season he was a valuable asset. He should have been extended after 2020, or 21 or 22. If he wasn’t willing to sign, he should have been traded prior to this season when his value was still at its peak.
The injury this year only exasperated the situation for the FO, it didn’t create the problem. Even if he didn’t get hurt, I’m not sure the Jays would have traded him at the deadline, because this front office doesn’t seem to know how to think outside the box and only believe they can compete with Vlad and Bo
bestone
Hey….just a thought…how about Bo to the Reds for Elly De La Cruz?
Astros_fan_in_Aus
You do know that De La Cruz leads the whole of baseball in fielding errors don’t you ?
NashvilleJeff
De La Cruz is destined for a position change w/the Reds when McClain is healthy next season. He should already be an of’er. He’s still worth a lot more than 1 year of Bichette.
bestone
Somethings can be taught…..speed can’t.
NashvilleJeff
Why would the Reds give up 5 years of control of De La Cruz for 1 year of Bichette? They’d laugh the Jays off the phone. Probably think it was a crank call.
william-2
and here we go again with the Boston Red Sox. You want to know when management is trying to run a Red Sox player out of town? Leaks. Why would anyone be talking about it to a reporter?
A player wasn’t comfortable with how he felt. BTW, his entire living. He got a couple of opinions to make sure he didn’t have an injury that could worsen and ruin his living, just in case. Whose feelings were hurt? The team doctor? I don’t care about Yoshida being on or off the team honestly, but this crap every time from the team is making the Red Sox look terrible, and more importantly with players in the league. Just STFU and build another losing roster.