The Toronto Blue Jays have been on the rise over the past month, winning 10 of their last 12 games to get back into playoff contention in the American League. Currently, Toronto is in third place in the AL East standings but the Blue Jays are in the hunt for one of the Wild Card spots.
If Toronto falls out of contention between now at the July 31st trade deadline, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team move on from some key players, including shortstop Bo Bichette, who will be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.
Bichette wasn’t given a new deal in the offseason and time is running out on a possible extension, especially given his uptick in production following a down year.
Below, we’ll examine the best trade destinations for Bichette if the Blue Jays opt to deal him at the deadline.
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta has a huge hole to fill in the lineup at shortstop and Bichette would undoubtedly be an upgrade at the plate over 26-year-old Nick Allen. In 56 games, Allen has hit just .228 with a .259 slugging percentage to go along with only five extra-base hits and zero home runs so far this year.
If the Braves want to make the postseason, they are going to need to take a chance and make a splash at the trade deadline and Bichette certainly fits the bill as a player worth taking a chance on.
Bichette is the kind of profile who could thrive in Atlanta’s lineup. He’s a professional hitter known for putting together quality at-bats and makes a lot of without striking out a lot.
Detroit Tigers
Despite their lack of star power in the lineup, the Tigers look like a potential World Series contender in the American League. Detroit is on its way to winning its first AL Central division title since 2014 but could use some added depth in the middle of the infield.
The Tigers have enjoyed a renaissance season from shortstop Javier Baez but have been relying on Zach McKinstry to fill in for injured Matt Vierling at third base.
While McKinstry has played well in his absence, he hit just .200 with a .626 OPS in May and might be better served as a utility player for a deep team looking to make a deep run in October. Meanwhile, Vierling has suffered some setbacks in his recovery from a shoulder injury that has limited him to just four games this season.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies already have Trea Turner locked in as their starting shortstop but Bichette might actually be better served by moving to second base long-term. Bichette has posted a negative WAR (-0.8) on defense this season, which would be the worst mark since his rookie campaign in 2019.
Bryson Stott leaves plenty to be desired at second base and he’s scuffled over the last month. He hit just .216 in Mat and followed that up with a slow start to June, hitting just .115 in 26 at-bats this month. Stott has also struggled versus left-handed pitching this season, batting just .204 with a .224 slugging percentage. Meanwhile, Bichette has actually hit lefties (.295) better than righties (.286) over the course of his MLB career.
If the Phillies want to compete in the postseason, Bichette could be the kind of hitter that could round out the lineup and turn Philadelphia into a legitimate World Series contender come October.
