If the Detroit Tigers want to make a blockbuster trade at the deadline, they’ll have to hope that multiple teams around the league are interested in selling. For the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tigers could be directly impacted by their decisions.
The Blue Jays, who have played well in recent weeks, are in a position where they might hold. However, with star Bo Bichette hitting the free agency market at the end of the campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blue Jays move on from him, even if they buy.
Remember now, teams around the league have bought and sold at the same time in recent years, and the Blue Jays are potentially one of them that could do it this year.
Bichette is very good, so losing him for nothing would be a disservice to the entire organization.
Searching for a potential trade, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic recently linked both sides to a potential deal. However, he added that the Blue Jays might not be clear sellers given where they currently stand.
“Third base and shortstop are currently the Tigers’ most in-flux positions, which leads to natural speculation about them making a run at Toronto’s Bo Bichette. However, it is worth noting that the Toronto Blue Jays would make the playoffs if the season were to end today. They might not be clear sellers,” he wrote.
If the Tigers could land Bichette, they could view it as a rental or their long-term fix in the infield.
Whether he plays shortstop or moves over to third base, there’s reason to believe that Bichette would be welcomed in the middle of this lineup.
After leading the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022, he’s slowed down a bit, but still has a 107 OPS+.
Bichette would be a nice addition to the Tigers’ lineup.
The right-handed hitting shortstop would be a rental, but Jeff Passan of ESPN believes he’ll only be about $100 million in free agency, something Detroit could pay if it wants to.
