Bo Bichette-to-Cubs Trade Speculation Gains Credence, Still Seems Nearly Impossible
The only thing more plentiful than rumors this time of year are all the hypothetical scenarios being thrown around, most of which are little other than wishful thinking. But every now and then you get some speculation that may have a kernel of truth at its core, as was the case recently with a connection between the Cubs and Bo Bichette.
Jon Morosi had noted last year that the Cubs were interested in the infielder, then Kevin Fiddler of the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast recently wondered aloud how Cubs fans would like having Bichette at Wrigley.
I wonder how #Cubs fans would feel about Bo Bichette playing every day at Wrigley… pic.twitter.com/kvaxBzqXOR
— The Reverend KFidds (@KFidds) November 20, 2023
Totally innocuous stuff thought exercise without so much as a hint of rumor-mongering, right? Well, things got a little more interesting when Matt Cozzi of LockedOn Cubs added that he heard the Cubs have indeed talked with the Blue Jays about Bichette, who would slide over from shortstop to third base. The situation got ratcheted up further when Morosi acknowledged Cozzi’s report and supplied additional thoughts.
Update on a Bo Bichette trade scenario, per @matt_cozzi. Here’s a point to ponder: How would a Bichette-to-Cubs trade impact the way Ohtani views both of these potential suitors? @MLBNetwork https://t.co/1wp8ddbkw5
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 22, 2023
Though he didn’t explicitly validate the report, Morosi tacitly endorsed the idea and asked rhetorically how such a deal would impact Shohei Ohtani‘s views of two teams in the market for his services. And while the obvious answer seems to be that it would reflect much better on the Cubs, I don’t really believe there’s any way in hell such a trade would ever come together.
Bichette will be 26 in March and has two years remaining on the three-year, $33.6 million deal he signed back in February to cover his last three years of arbitration. That $11.2 million AAV is incredibly reasonable for a guy with a career .299/.340/.487 slash line, 127 wRC+, and 20 or more homers in each of his three full seasons. Even if his oppo-heavy approach wouldn’t play as well at Wrigley from a power perspective, he’d be an incredibly solid corner man and could even add pop as he ages.
That kind of cheap control would get really expensive in terms of the prospect capital required to pry him loose, which is why a deal between the Cubs and Jays seems unlikely at best. Still, the fact that Morosi lent credence to what started as a dude having a little fun makes me cock an eyebrow. In the end, I think this is an example of Jed Hoyer doing a little stone-turning as he lays out what should be a two-year offseason plan.
