Cleveland Guardians To Have Great Offseason Shot At Coveted Trade Target

The Cleveland Guardians will have a great shot at landing one of their coveted trade targets in the offseason.

Jun 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) warms up before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year, the Cleveland Guardians were linked heavily as potential trade suitors for Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette.

While the Blue Jays ended up deciding to keep him, the Guardians could circle back around to the idea in the offseason.

Bichette would be a perfect long-term fit for Cleveland. He would give them their answer at shortstop for years to come if they were able to acquire him.

Now, it sounds like the Guardians will have a good shot at trading for Bichette if that is something that they truly would like to do.

According to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Toronto is expected to be open to trade offers for Bichette. He also reported that Bichette has no plans to stay with the Blue Jays moving past this season.

"The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to entertain trade offers this winter for shortstop Bo Bichette, who has no plans to stay in Toronto once he’s a free agent after the 2025 season."

If Clevleand has any interest level in Bichette, they will have an opportunity to make their pitch.

Obviously, the 2024 MLB season has not gone as planned for Bichette. He has dealt with some nagging injury issues that have forced him to miss quite a bit of time.

He has ended up playing in 79 games this year. In those appearances, he has hit four home runs and driven in 30 RBI, while batting .223/.276/.321.

Those numbers clearly don't scream "star," but he is capable of much bigger production.

Back in the 2023 season, Bichette provided a much better sample size. He played in 135 games, batting .306/.339/.475 to go along with 20 home runs and 73 RBI. His two years before that were even bigger.

At just 26 years old, Bichette has plenty of time to get things back on track. The Guardians should not be scared away by what the young shortstop has gone through this season.

Expect to hear a lot of trade rumors surrounding Bichette when the offseason gets underway. Don't be surprised if Cleveland ends up being one of the teams pursuing him.