3 Bo Bichette trade packages the Blue Jays wouldn’t be able to turn down

In his recent media availability, Toronto Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro said, “We believe there's enough talent in place to build a contending championship caliber team next year. Had we not, we would have made a different set of decisions [at the Trade Deadline]".

But with so many needs to fill to reload for a postseason run in 2025, how can the front office improve the overall talent level of the 26-man roster as well as MLB-ready depth in the farm system?

With USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writing Sunday that the Blue Jays “are expected to entertain trade offers this winter for shortstop Bo Bichette, who has no plans to stay in Toronto once he’s a free agent after the 2025 season,” there may be a tailor-made solution brewing.

22-year-old shortstop Leo Jiménez, ranked No. 4 in the midseason update to Jays Journal's Top 30 Blue Jays Prospects, has been playing well since his July 4 call up. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays may have a stockpile of good shortstop prospects, including Arjun Nimmala (No. 3) and Josh Kasevich (No. 12) .

Absent a contract extension, Bichette will be a free agent after next season. His last season of team control comes at a reasonable $11.2M average annual value (AAV) contract for luxury tax purposes, even though he’s owed $16.5M in cash.

He’s a 26-year-old, two time All-Star who led the American League in hits in both 2021 and 2022. That’s no small feat. In Toronto’s 48-year franchise history, they’ve only had three players lead the AL in hits: Paul Molitor in 1993, Vernon Wells in 2003, and Bichette, who did it twice. Since his MLB debut on July 29, 2019, Bo ranks 8th in MLB in hits and has complied a 16.2 fWAR, which ranks him 32nd in baseball over that stretch.

However, the writing has been on the wall for sometime, especially in light of the inability of the front office and Bichette to agree to a long term contract extension. In late June, he told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae that he would not have been been surprised at all if Toronto had moved him at the July 30 trade deadline.

Of course, as Jays Journal editor Eric Treuden wrote, “Struggles or not, the Blue Jays do not have to move Bichette [this offseason], so they're going to ask for a lot in return.”

An offer they can’t refuse?

So what trade offers for a year’s worth of Bo Bichette’s services would the Blue Jays not be able to turn down? While it’s hard to watch excellence walk out the door, Toronto hasn’t won any playoff games in the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bichette era. Perhaps it’s time to cash in their best trade chip to fill other pressing needs for 2025 and beyond?

Below, we delve into three potential packages that might extend Toronto’s competitive window even with a core that doesn’t include Bichette. We’re assuming that Jiménez can be the solution at shortstop, and that some big power bats will be signed via free agency given the likes of Juan Soto, Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández, Cody Bellinger and Alex Bregman are potential free agents. There’s also a strong under 32-year-old starting pitching class, including Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, and the rehabbing Shane Bieber and Lucas Giolito.

As the focus is now clearly on 2025, those remaining pressing needs include MLB-ready starting pitch depth to improve upon the departed Yusei Kikuchi, an injured Alek Manoah, and the paucity of healthy prospect arms in the farm system. The Blue Jays also need impact MLB relief arms to significantly improve upon Yimi García, Trevor Richards, Tim Mayza and Nate Pearson, and provide lock down, high-leverage relief so that the bullpen isn’t “an Achilles” again in 2025; and, they need an MLB-ready catcher to replace Danny Jansen given the weak free agent class at the position.

We overlaid the competitive teams that have a potential need at shortstop in 2025 with their updated top prospects that would meet the above needs for Toronto. Instead of trading for just average prospects from a bottom ranked farm system like the Houston Astros, a year of control of Bo Bichette should be worth two top 100, MLB-ready prospects or young players who’ve already graduated to the bigs.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The positional versatility of a healthy Mookie Betts obviously complicates matters here, but with both Miguel Rojas ($5M club option) and Enrique “Kiké” Hernández (UFA) potential free agents, the Dodgers could look to solidify their roster for 2025. Rojas will be entering his age-36 season, and Bichette’s $11.5M AAV is only $2M more than the combined $9.5M the Dodgers will pay Rojas and Hernandez in 2024.

One of Betts or Bichette could shift to second base, where former top prospect Gavin Lux has struggled since returning from a devastating knee injury at the start of 2023. And with 29-year-old, two-time All Star catcher Will Smith signed through his age-38 season in 2033, they should be able to find a match with Toronto, who need an MLB-ready catcher.

Left-handed hitting catcher/outfielder Dalton Rushing (No. 36 on Baseball America’s updated top 100 prospect ranking) certainly fits the bill. The 23-year-old has slashed .274/.413/.521 for a .934 OPS across three minor league seasons. With the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City this year, he has a .935 OPS with 2 home runs in his first 41 at bats since his August 6th promotion. He’d thumped 17 home runs and 59 RBI in 281 at bats with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

With an overall scouting grade of 55, it’s his quick, compact left-handed swing, as well as his consistency driving the ball in the air to his pull side that excites scouts. And while his receiving and blocking skills are still works in progress, his strong arm can deter the running game.

To make it a deal the Blue Jays couldn’t refuse, after their top pitching prospect River Ryan recently had Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers would need to add one of 25-year-old RHP Bobby Miller, 27-year old RHP Landon Knack (No. 9 in BA’s ranking of the Dodger’s system) or 24-year-old LHP Justin Wrobleski (No. 4 per BA).

After breaking out in 2023 with a 3.76 ERA over 22 starts and 124.1 innings, Miller has struggled to an 8.02 ERA in his 8 starts this season, covering only 33.2 innings. He spent two months on the IL earlier this season with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, but was recently recalled from Triple-A. Knack has a 3.07 ERA in nine games (eight starts) for the Dodgers, while Wrobleski has posted a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings over four starts for LA this season.

Atlanta Braves

After never once consummating a trade with former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos since he left town, could that end with a Bichette trade to Atlanta? Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia has a DRS of +1 and and fWAR of only 0.5 this season, the lowest of any qualified SS. The 30-year-old has struggled to a .224/.271/.348 slash line, good for an OPS of .619 and OPS+ of 71, well below league average. Bichette would be a huge upgrade to their middle infield.

Rumour has it that it was Anthopoulos’ head scout, Brian Parker, who argued for the pick of highschooler Bichette at No. 66 in the 2016 amateur draft, when Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins wanted to draft a college-aged player. Parker’s subsequent firing only added fuel to that fire.

And while the Braves system isn’t highly rated, it has produced a steady stream of MLB-ready talent over the past few seasons, including Spencer Strider, Michael Harris II, Spencer Schwellenbach and Bryce Elder.

Their top rated catching prospect is Drake Baldwin, a 23-year-old left-handed hitter with a overall scouting grade of 50. He ranked No. 3 on BA’s ranking of the Braves system, and appears to be MLB-ready after slashing .311/.429/.492 for an OPS of .921 for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, with 8 home runs and 39 RBI in 177 at bats.

If he was packaged along with top Atlanta prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, ranked No. 86 overall on BA’s top 100 prospect ranking, it might be a deal the Blue Jays couldn’t refuse. The 21-year-old Smith-Shawver already has 29.2 MLB innings under his belt, pitching to a 3.64 ERA in seven games (6 starts). While’s he’s struggled to a 5.61 ERA in 14 starts and only 51.1 innings at Gwinnett this year after landing on the injured list for over a month with a strained left oblique, he does have 63 strikeouts.

What do you think Blue Jays fans? What’s a trade offer for Bo Bichette this coming offseason that you couldn’t refuse?