5 players who are entering their final days on the Blue Jays

Bo Bichette

Bichette hasn't appeared in a game since July 19 as he nurses yet another calf injury. The two-time All-Star was in the midst of easily his worst season as a professional before being sidelined. In 80 games, he had just four home runs, a .222 batting average and .595 OPS.

His OPS+ had also dipped all the way down to 69, which suggests he had been 31 percent below league-average at the plate. This is quite the fall-off for a player who had led the AL in hits in two of the previous three seasons.

Outside of the overall underperformance of this club, one of the biggest storylines on the Blue Jays this year has been whether they'll trade or extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bichette. Guerrero's re-emergence as an MVP-caliber talent has removed him from the "trade bait" category and put him firmly in "franchise cornerstone" territory.

Bichette, on the other hand, has seen himself go the opposite direction. With a massive group of middle infield-types set to compete for playing time next year, it's possible that the only player to have earned MVP votes out of the bunch is the one that gets moved.

In the months prior to his injury, Bichette had seemed uninterested and lethargic on the diamond. It might be because of the trade rumors, he might've been unhappy to have been playing for a losing team, and he could very well just have been checking out. The industry-wide speculation has been all over the place since right around the trade deadline, but all signs are pointing to the Jays at least being open to a move in the offseason.

This is not the first time I've discussed such a thing, and it won't be the last. MLB Network's Mark Feinsand penned an interesting piece that consisted of him polling executives around the league on the direction of the Blue Jays and their superstars. Here is one of the most noteworthy quotes:

“I sense there is interest on their part to move Bichette,” an AL executive said. “Buying a guy out of his arb years and not extending him further sends a message that either he or they have concern past the six years they have him.”

Touche.