Major League Baseball&#8217;s hot-stove season is in full swing, and there&#8217;s been no shortage of juicy rumours flying around the industry, with Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette among the latest discussion topics.
The 25-year-old infielder &#8211; a free agent after the 2025 season, as is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. &#8211; was <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-offseason-plans-come-into-focus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this off-season</a> by MLB reporter Juan Toribio, who reported the team plans to &#8220;monitor the trade market&#8221; in case shortstop Gavin Lux isn&#8217;t fully recovered from his torn ACL next season. Milwaukee’s Willy Adames was also mentioned in the article.
On Tuesday, Bichette&#8217;s name popped up again, <a href="https://twitter.com/matt_cozzi/status/1727076983086133620" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this time tying him to the Chicago Cubs</a>, per Locked On Cubs host Matt Cozzi, who reported the club has &#8220;talked to the Blue Jays&#8221; regarding their All-Star shortstop. But instead of playing him up the middle, they would reportedly move him to third base, forming a formidable duo on the left side with Dansby Swanson.
It seems unlikely Toronto&#8217;s front office would be willing to trade Bichette this winter, especially considering he still has two seasons of club control remaining. But that conversation could be revisited in future offseasons, as TSN&#8217;s Scott Mitchell wrote on Wednesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I&#8217;m not going to tweet much about this because there are simply too many mental gymnastics to work through about what you&#8217;d get/want in return and potential SS replacements, but all I&#8217;ll say is I definitely would not be shocked or surprised if Bo Bichette was eventually traded.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottyMitchTSN/status/1727388415308767573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
Mitchell added in a separate post that he believes there&#8217;s a higher chance Bichette is ultimately traded than signed to a long-term contract extension with the Blue Jays.
Toronto still has plenty of time to extend Bichette and Guerrero before that duo reaches the open market. But the harsh reality is the closer that pair inches toward free agency, the likelier they&#8217;ll become free agents in two years.
The organization avoided arbitration with the two-time All-Star before last season, agreeing to a three-year, $33.6-million contract to buy out his remaining arbitration years. That deal will pay him slightly over $12 million in 2024 and $17.5 million in &#8217;25.
Bichette enjoyed a strong performance in the first year of that contract, serving as the Blue Jays&#8217; most productive hitter while slashing .306/.339/.475 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs over 135 games. He recorded a 125 wRC+, placing him 25 percentage points above league average, and was worth 3.8 fWAR.
The second-round selection from 2016 will be entering his sixth major league season in 2024.
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Major League Baseball's hot-stove season is in full swing, and there's been no shortage of juicy rumours flying around the industry, with Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette among the latest discussion topics.

The 25-year-old infielder - a free agent after the 2025 season, as is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - was <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-offseason-plans-come-into-focus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this off-season</a> by MLB reporter Juan Toribio, who reported the team plans to "monitor the trade market" in case shortstop Gavin Lux isn't fully recovered from his torn ACL next season. Milwaukee’s Willy Adames was also mentioned in the article.

On Tuesday, Bichette's name popped up again, <a href="https://twitter.com/matt_cozzi/status/1727076983086133620" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this time tying him to the Chicago Cubs</a>, per Locked On Cubs host Matt Cozzi, who reported the club has "talked to the Blue Jays" regarding their All-Star shortstop. But instead of playing him up the middle, they would reportedly move him to third base, forming a formidable duo on the left side with Dansby Swanson.

It seems unlikely Toronto's front office would be willing to trade Bichette this winter, especially considering he still has two seasons of club control remaining. But that conversation could be revisited in future offseasons, as TSN's Scott Mitchell wrote on Wednesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I'm not going to tweet much about this because there are simply too many mental gymnastics to work through about what you'd get/want in return and potential SS replacements, but all I'll say is I definitely would not be shocked or surprised if Bo Bichette was eventually traded.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottyMitchTSN/status/1727388415308767573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
Mitchell added in a separate post that he believes there's a higher chance Bichette is ultimately traded than signed to a long-term contract extension with the Blue Jays.

Toronto still has plenty of time to extend Bichette and Guerrero before that duo reaches the open market. But the harsh reality is the closer that pair inches toward free agency, the likelier they'll become free agents in two years.

The organization avoided arbitration with the two-time All-Star before last season, agreeing to a three-year, $33.6-million contract to buy out his remaining arbitration years. That deal will pay him slightly over $12 million in 2024 and $17.5 million in '25.

Bichette enjoyed a strong performance in the first year of that contract, serving as the Blue Jays' most productive hitter while slashing .306/.339/.475 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs over 135 games. He recorded a 125 wRC+, placing him 25 percentage points above league average, and was worth 3.8 fWAR.

The second-round selection from 2016 will be entering his sixth major league season in 2024.

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Report: Wouldn’t be shocking if Blue Jays ‘eventually’ traded Bo Bichette

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