As the July 31 trade deadline approaches closer each day, teams around the league continue to think about whether they will sell or buy at the deadline.
For the Cleveland Guardians, the decision whether to buy or sell will be a tough one. The Guardians are currently 40-38 and battling with the Seattle Mariners for the final wild card spot. Seattle is currently ahead of Cleveland by one game.
If the Guardians decide to go all in and buy at the deadline, one player they could target is a two-time All-Star.
Henry Palatella of Away Back Gone has put together a list of five sluggers Cleveland could potentially pursue at next month’s deadline. One of those players is Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.
“While the Blue Jays enter Wednesday ahead of the Guardians in the Wild Card race, there’s been plenty of trade deadline buzz around Bichette, who is an impending free agent. The Blue Jays may have already played their cards earlier this year when they extended Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million deal earlier this year but seemingly made no progress in a potential extension with Bichette,” Palatella said.
Bichette is hitting .276 so far this season with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. Bichette has been Toronto’s leadoff hitter all season and is having a solid month of June with a current hitting streak of five games.
It is likely that Bichette would be a rental and would leave Cleveland after this season if traded, but at this point, the Guardians are in need of an offensive player like Bichette, who is a two-time All-Star in 2021 and 2023.
