Blue Jays “getting calls” about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette a “reflection of the lack of quality hitters available” in free agency
By Cam Lewis
7 months agoThe Toronto Blue Jays have been getting calls from other teams about the availability of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Rosenthal added that this isn’t because the Blue Jays have been seeking to trade either of their two franchise icons, it’s because the lack of quality options for position players on the free-agent market has pushed teams to consider looking for high-quality talent through trades.
“Anything can happen at this time of year, but the reported trade discussions involving star position players such as Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and Astros third baseman Alex Bregman seemingly are more a reflection of the lack of quality hitters available than the potential foundations of deals.Teams are asking because teams always ask, inquiring about virtually every player. But it doesn’t mean conversations are progressing.The Blue Jays are getting calls on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as well as Bichette, according to major-league sources who were granted anonymity in order to speak freely. However, it makes little sense for the Jays to move either star when they are under pressure to win and believed to be pursuing Shohei Ohtani. Granted, neither Bichette nor Guerrero has signed a contract extension, and both are two years away from free agency. But good luck to the Jays finding a replacement at Bichette’s level for 2024, or one with the promise of Guerrero.”
The speculation about Bichette has been going on for a while now, as the L.A. Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are known to be interested in the two-time All-Star shortstop. This is the first time that we’ve heard about teams inquiring about the availability of Guerrero Jr., though.
As Rosenthal said, asking about players is standard practice among general managers in the off-season. From another team’s perspective, the Blue Jays have been swept in the playoffs in back-to-back years and it’s reasonable to wonder if they want to move either of their young stars before having to decide whether or not to pay them when they reach free agency in a couple of years.
But for the Blue Jays, it’s difficult to see the team being comfortable with a trade involving big-name players like Guerrero Jr. and Bichette right now because of how the fanbase would receive it. The organization has sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into stadium renovations and fans are already aggravated after another letdown in the fall. Moving fan favourites because of ‘years of control’ won’t make it easier to sell premium tickets.
Things might change if the Blue Jays have a rough time in 2024 or if they can’t do anything in the playoffs next year, but, for now, we can safely assume Bo and Vlad will be here come Opening Day in March.
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