The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most star-studded teams in Major League Baseball history, yet they continue to neglect one of the game’s most important positions.
Since Trea Turner signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023, the Dodgers have constantly pieced things together at shortstop. Gavin Lux, who was once the heir apparent, has had a topsy-turvy career, while future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts, who stepped in to start last season, is a right fielder.
The Dodgers appear dead-set on letting Betts give shortstop duties a whirl again in 2025, but is that really the best way to preserve his long-term health? He’s under contract through his age-39 season (eight more years), and shortstops rarely age well past 35.
It’s already too late to sign Willy Adames, who’d long been rumored as a backup target, but there may be another way to acquire an All-Star level talent at the position: a blockbuster trade.
On Saturday, Matt Musico of Newsweek proposed that the Dodgers could take a crack at trading for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who has one year left on his rookie contract before becoming a free agent.
“The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Thursday that “circumstances have changed” because the Jays recently completed a trade with the Cleveland Guardians for Andrés Giménez,” said. “While Rosenthal said the Blue Jays aren’t openly shopping Bichette, they’re open to the possibility of dealing the shortstop.”
“With that in mind, the Dodgers should at least continue kicking the tires on possibly acquiring Bichette. The 26-year-old is coming off a rough year that included a .598 OPS and just four home runs in 336 plate appearances. However, he was among the top offensive producers at his position from 2021-23.”
While Bichette’s rough 2024 is certainly a red flag, he’s also the ideal player to give a mulligan. He’ll be 27 when the season starts, has led the American League in hits twice, and his sticker price will never be lower regarding the prospects LA would have to give up.
No one knows how likely a trade like this is to happen, but it’s definitely worth consideration, especially if the Blue Jays decide extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes re-signing Bichette impossible.
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