Trade deadline plans up in the air after Blue Jays' Bichette hurt in loss to Orioles
Into the home stretch before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline and hot in pursuit of at least one bat, the Toronto Blue Jays must now consider another pivotal variable after Bo Bichette hurt his right knee running the bases and left Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
TORONTO – Into the home stretch before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline and hot in pursuit of at least one bat, the Toronto Blue Jays must now consider another pivotal variable after Bo Bichette hurt his right knee running the bases and left Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
The club attributed the all-star shortstop’s departure to “discomfort,” a diagnosis termed just vaguely enough to keep everyone guessing about what it really means. Given Bichette’s steely determination and relentless work ethic, anything bad enough to force him from a game will be deeply troubling for a team that hours earlier welcomed Jordan Hicks to the bullpen.
Afterward, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the team "probably will know more tomorrow."
Having already paid a significant price for one of the game’s hardest throwers, the Blue Jays have hunting for an offensive piece to augment a group that feels one bat light. A reunion with Teoscar Hernandez and the suddenly selling Seattle Mariners is believed to be among the options on their list while infielder Tim Anderson of the tearing down Chicago White Sox is another possibility to at least be under some consideration.
But with Bichette having walked off the field after rounding first on a single to right, stopping on his way to second and pulling up grabbing at his right knee in the third inning, a reprioritization of their needs in the final hours of trading season may well be necessary.
Anderson, who comes with a $14-million club option for next year, isn’t the only short-term option available. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong is another option – he comes with club options of $12.5 million for 2024 and $15 million for 2025 – and intriguingly, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said during the talks about Hicks, “we did exchange bigger concepts and talked about several of their players – that's usually the case.”
Whether that’s DeJong or other potential fits like outfielders Tyler O’Neill or Dylan Carlson wasn’t immediately clear, but it’s pretty clear the Blue Jays need to keep bolstering the roster to fully leverage the group currently in place.
Even after parting with double-A starters Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein, Atkins insisted the Blue Jays “are in a strong position” in terms of prospect capital and added that he and his staff “do see opportunities” for additional trades.
Bichette’s status is an unwelcomed addition into the mix.
