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SAD MOMENT: I want to leave, Dodgers Short stopper insist he won’t stay and…
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of baseball’s best teams thanks to a 47-31 record. They also own a comfortable eight-game lead over the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. They’re expected to make big moves ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Could Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette be part of their haul?
During a June 21 Bleacher Report live stream, Robbie Hyde proposed the following deal that would send Bichette to Hollywood:
- Dodgers receive: shortstop Bo Bichette
- Blue Jays receive: infielder Gavin Lux, catcher Diego Cartaya and right-handed pitcher Payton Martin
- Cartaya (seventh) and Martin (ninth) are both top-10 prospects in the Dodgers’ system, according to MLB.com. Lux is a former top prospect and missed all of 2023 because of injury. He’s hitting .210/.258/.280 with one home run, 17 RBI and 21 runs scored in 213 plate appearances this season.
How Bichette Would Fit in Los Angeles
The Dodgers recently lost incumbent starting shortstop Mookie Betts to a fractured hand. He’s expected to miss up to two months. L.A.’s current plan is to use Miguel Rojas and Kike Hernandez to fill the void. However, adding Bichette would be a huge upgrade.
- Toronto placed Bichette on the injured list on June 18 with a right calf strain. That has further slowed what’s already been a rough start to 2024 for him. He’s hitting .237/.286/.342 with four homers, 28 RBI and 22 runs scored in 276 plate appearances. But between 2021 and 2023, he was one of baseball’s best offensive shortstops.
Bichette posted a .815 OPS while averaging 24 homers, 34 doubles, 89 RBI and 94 runs scored across those three seasons. He earned two All-Star Game selections and placed in the top 20 of American League MVP Award voting three times. He’s also under contract through 2025 as part of a three-year, $33.6 million deal, so he’d be more than just a half-season rental.
Bringing the 26-year-old to Los Angeles would allow Betts to shift to second base. He manned the keystone for 70 games in 2023. Lux has been getting a lot of playing time there so far this season.
