Bo Bichette bluntly replied when he was asked on Thursday if he thought he would be dealt at the MLB trade deadline.
While Bichette is one of the more notable players on the Blue Jays roster, there’s been plenty of speculation that Toronto could move the infielder at the deadline and it seems even he wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen.
“No. Not surprised at all,” Bichette told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae when she broached the topic ahead of Thursday’s game against the Yankees.
Even with his down season this year, Bichette would be a highly coveted target at the trade deadline or a number of teams despite his .233/.284/.336 slash line over 68 games.
The Blue Jays went into the game against the Bronx Bombers with a 36-43 record and are expected to be sellers at the deadline, even though general manager Ross Atkins has insisted that the team is focused on winning now.
Bichette is under team control through the end of the 2025 season.
He will make $17.6 million in the final year of his current deal, which has thrown him into the trade chatter.
Atkins told MLB Network radio earlier this month that “it just doesn’t make any sense for us” in regard to trading Bichette or star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
He reiterated that on Thursday during an appearance on “Blair and Barker” on Sportsnet.
“They’re really good players that are part of the solution, and all of our energy is focused on supporting them at this point,” Atkins said. “It’s not just about this year, they’re under control next year, and they’ve been important to the organization, and we hope they continue to be.”
The Toronto exec did try to present some hope that extensions could be worked out for Bichette or Guerrero, though earlier in the day, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said during “Foul Territory” that he didn’t “believe” the Blue Jays would sign either to extensions.
