2-Time All-Star Floated as Blockbuster Trade Fit for Braves

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer named the Atlanta Braves a potential fit for a 2-time All-Star shortstop.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves didn't get a lot of offensive production at shortstop during 2024. A year after his first All-Star bid, Orlando Arcia hit just .218 with a .625 OPS in 551 at-bats this past season.

Arcia is under contract another season and has a club option for 2026. But that doesn't mean the Braves couldn't pursue an outside upgrade at shortstop.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer proposed 2-time All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette as a possible upgrade for Atlanta.

On Friday, Rymer named Bichette the "most likely" player from the Toronto Blue Jays to be traded this offseason. Rymer then called the Braves one of three potential fits for Bichette through a trade.

"[USA Today's Bob Nightengale] wrote in August that the Blue Jays are 'expected to entertain trade offers' for Bo Bichette, who 'has no plans' to stay as a free agent after the 2025 season," Rymer wrote. "Indeed, he may have signaled as much by only selling out his arbitration years with his current contract.

"The timing could be better for the Blue Jays, as the 26-year-old had a lost 2024 season in which he managed just a .598 OPS in 81 games. But as a two-time All-Star who figures to be motivated in 2025, he's an intriguing trade alternative to Willy Adames in free agency."

Although Bichette is a 2-time All-Star, he hit a career-low .225 with a putrid .598 OPS in 2024. He played in just 81 games because of a calf injury.

Acquiring Bichette would likely be considered a blockbuster move because he had an .827 career OPS prior to this past season. But he is probably a buy-low candidate for the Braves and other MLB clubs after his poor 2024 season.

Rymer isn't the first pundit to suggest the Braves should pursue Bichette. MLB analyst and former Braves right fielder Jeff Francoeur argued during an appearance on Foul Territory on Oct. 16 that the Braves need to prioritize shortstop and mentioned Bichette as a potential trade option.

"You gotta get an elite shortstop, whether it's Bo Bichette, Willy Adames," Francoeur said. "You gotta get someone who's got power at that position. If you do that, you got one of the deepest lineups in baseball if everybody’s healthy.” 

Even after his terrible 2024 season, Bichette owns a career .290 average and .798 OPS. He has hit 93 home runs with 343 RBI, 360 runs and 56 stolen bases in 609 games over six seasons.