Giants Trade Proposal Sends $33 Million Shortstop to the Bay in 3-Player Swap

Getty The Giants could use a midseason upgrade at shortstop. If the Blue Jays become sellers, could San Francisco target Bo Bichette?

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a rough start in 2024. After making the postseason in each of the past two years, they’re 25-29 and 11 games out of first place in the American League East as of May 29. Rumors of the organization shopping its young stars have started circulating. Could that lead to the San Francisco Giants pursuing shortstop Bo Bichette?

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer ranked 10 potential landing spots for the 26-year-old since it’s possible the Blue Jays could become trade-deadline sellers. He ranked the Giants as his top landing spot and put together this hypothetical three-player deal:

• Giants receive: shortstop Bo Bichette
• Blue Jays receive: shortstop Marco Luciano and left-handed pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt

“Though the Giants have come alive with 12 wins in their last 16 games, it’s still not clear what the plan is at shortstop,” he said. “The position has produced just 0.1 rWAR this year. Nick Ahmed only ever looked like a stopgap solution, and he’s on the IL with a sprained wrist. Marco Luciano briefly got a shot, but he is now in a timeshare with Wisely.

“The word ‘tenuous’ comes to mind, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Especially if their current momentum keeps up, the Giants should have Bichette on their radar.”

The Giants are 29-27 as of May 29 and currently hold one of the three National League Wild Card spots.

Bichette Would Be a Huge Upgrade for the Giants

Like most Blue Jays players, Bichette’s 2024 has started slow. He’s slashing .246/.294/.362 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 19 runs scored in 214 plate appearances. Despite that lackluster production, Bichette has proven to be one of the top-producing offensive players at his position since 2021.

Across the last three seasons, the right-handed hitter has posted a .815 OPS (.298/.339/.476 line) while averaging 24 homers, 34 doubles, 89 RBI and 94 runs scored. He’s led the league in hits twice (191 in 2021 and 189 in 2022) and has registered at least 175 hits in each campaign. These performances have led to two All-Star Game selections and three straight top-20 finishes in American League MVP Award voting, per Baseball-Reference.

Acquiring Bichette would solve a current and future roster issue for the Giants. They need someone to take control at shortstop in 2024 if they want to continue competing for a postseason spot. But he also won’t hit free agency until after 2025, when his three-year, $33.6 million deal concludes. Bichette is making $12.083 million this year and will earn $17.583 million in 2025, per Spotrac.

San Francisco Has Been Linked to Shortstop Solutions for a While

The Giants have also been named as a landing spot for Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, shortstop has long been an issue needing to be addressed by San Francisco.

Luciano has been viewed as a potential solution at times. He owns a 1.027 OPS this year but has only appeared in nine games. Tim Anderson has been floated as a potential trade target since the Miami Marlins are already sellers. Offseason rumors have also tied San Francisco to Ha-Seong Kim of the San Diego Padres and Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers are currently 31-23 and leading in the National League Central. So, it’s hard to see a scenario where they trade Adames, who will be a free agent this winter. If the Giants are determined to find a win-now solution for shortstop, Bichette may be one of the best options available this summer.