Is Bo Bichette even tradable right now amid awful season?

Amidst the up and down season thus far for the Toronto Blue Jays, recent rumors have been swirling with regards to some of the Jays’ superstars. One major one in particular referred to the possibility of trading star shortstop Bo Bichette to help the team rebuild for the future.

That sure sounds like a great idea on paper. After all, whenever a superstar is unloaded by a team, more likely than not, they'd receive a significant package of assets that could help get the team back to contention. However, there is one caveat that remains in this case for the Jays: right at this moment, is Bichette even tradable?

After all, the 26-year-old shortstop is amid his worst MLB season to date, and it doesn’t appear that he is getting out of his hitting funk any time soon. Over 56 games, Bichette has hit a paltry .236 with a .629 OPS, 19 runs scored, 4 home runs and 25 RBI. At that rate, we are talking about just 12 home runs and 72 RBI over a full season’s pace. Although he showed some signs of turning things around over a recent 10-game stretch where he went 17-for-42 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI, he has fallen back down to earth once again and has registered just one hit in his last 17 at-bats.

On top of that, if taking a look at some advanced statistical metrics, what seemed to be the main culprit that has been ailing Bichette comes from his Sweet Spot rate, which has fallen from a stellar 90th percentile in the league last season down to just the 9th percentile this season. In addition, he has also seen a significant drop-off in average exit velocity, xBA, xSLG and Barrel rate compared to 2023. Nevertheless, at least he has protected the plate well, having more or less maintained his Strikeout and Whiff rate from last year. However, for a potent prolific hitter like a Bichette, those overall numbers were quite alarming.

It’s never a good idea to engage in trade talks involving a superstar when their value is at its lowest, as the Blue Jays have discovered in the past. Last time the Jays traded a struggling superstar, they exchanged AL MVP Josh Donaldson for a player to be named later, who ultimately wound up being Julian Merryweather.

So going back to the question, is Bichette even tradable right now? If the Jays want to get some peanuts and shameful laughs in return, then the answer is yes. But if the team wants to get the full value of his worth in return so that the assets can actually help the club in the long run, then the answer is a resounding no. Even GM Ross Atkins may actually be right for once, recently stating that trading Bichette (along with possibly Vladdy too) just “doesn’t make sense”.