Here is how the Blue Jays should follow any Bo Bichette trade

There has been lots of trade buzz around Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who is coming off a very poor season in 2024. With just one year left on his contract, Bichette is gaining interest from other teams, and the Toronto front office has been listening to offers.

Selling low on Bichette may not be the worst idea, especially if they do not think that he will re-sign with them next offseason. After all, selling low is better than selling for nothing, though both represent less than ideal outcomes.

The idea of extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this spring is also up in the air, so Toronto will have all attention towards re-signing him next offseason if no preemptive extension is signed.

So maybe it's not a bad idea to trade Bichette this offseason and get something out of him while they can. Bleacher Report just delivered a trade proposal with the Braves, sending the shortstop there in exchange for their No. 1 overall prospect, Cam Caminiti. If the consensus is that Bichette's value on his one remaining year is that high, it might make sense to deal him while signing someone like Alex Bregman. The Blue Jays must continue to be careful with free agent backfills, though, as they have struggled to make deals with other stars on the free agent market.

Blue Jays must be careful with their Bo Bichette trade talks, as the aftermath could be tricky.

If the Blue Jays are able to add a bat like Bregman, who hit 26 home runs last year with a wRC+ of 118, or Ha-Seong Kim, a defense-first shortstop that won the 2023 Gold Glove and posted a 101 wRC+ a season ago, then it would make sense to move on from Bichette.

Both of those players would come on multi-year contracts, which would solve the hole at the position for years to come. Bregman is a third baseman, but putting him in the lineup instead and letting Leo Jimenez take over at shortstop would be a productive change. Kim being a shortstop makes the swap easy, and he has been an above-average player in his short major league career.

If the Blue Jays fail to land either of them, then they should hang onto Bichette and gamble at bringing him back the next offseason or extending him. Such an extension would be risky, in the event that he does not rebound, but what he has proven in the past is that he is an excellent hitter, no matter the circumstances.

Replacing him with stopgap players like Paul DeJong or Amed Rosario would be a giant mistake. Not only would the Jays be downgrading at the position, but they would be doing so by adding one-year deals and bandages. Getting rid of Bichette without preemptively replacing his production for 2026 would represent a gaffe.

Overall, there are some positive and negatives that could pair with a Bichette trade, but if the Jays do not adequately handle the aftermath of the trade, then it could be an utter failure. If they add one of the big names on the market, too, they should go for it, but replacing Bichette with below-average veterans on one-year deals would be a major mistake.

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