The Toronto Blue Jays sit at 31-28 and they’re making some noise in the American League postseason race. They’re 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and just one game back of Minnesota for a Wild Card spot.
But that hasn’t stopped the trade rumors from swirling around Bo Bichette. He’s in his final contract year and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back in Toronto come 2026.
Jeff Passan from ESPN floated the Detroit Tigers as a potential landing spot if the Blue Jays decide to move their shortstop.
“After a homerless April, Bichette whacked seven home runs in May and slugged better than .500. The Tigers don’t need much. With their prospect depth, though, they can afford a luxury item,” Passan wrote.
Bichette’s bounced back nicely after that rough start to the season. Those seven home runs are part of a solid .277/.325/.430 slash line with 32 RBI and four stolen bases. His .754 OPS shows he’s getting back to form.
The two-time All-Star has been in trade talks since the offseason, especially when Toronto hadn’t locked up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. yet.
Detroit’s got the prospect capital to make a deal work. Their farm system ranks among the best in baseball, so they’ve got plenty of pieces that could interest Toronto.
Here’s the thing though – if the Blue Jays keep playing this well and stay in contention, they might decide to hang onto Bichette rather than ship him off to another playoff contender.
What makes this situation interesting is the timing. The Blue Jays are playing better baseball right when they need to decide whether they’re buyers or sellers.
The way I see it, their performance over the next month will determine everything. Stay hot and Bichette probably stays put. Cool off and he could be wearing a different uniform by the deadline.
All things considered, it’s a fascinating position for Toronto to be in – good enough to compete but facing some tough decisions about their core players.
