The Toronto Blue Jays have been busy little bees this winter. After losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have been making waves in the MLB offseason. Signing Cody Ponce and Dylan Cease to fill out their rotation and bringing Tyler Rogers to help Yimi Garcia and Jeff Hoffman has been the tip of the iceberg. The biggest question mark surrounding the team has been regarding a big bat. Do they bring back Bo Bichette? Do they recruit Kyle Tucker? Is Alex Bregman an upgrade to their infield who wants to come to Canada?
While they wrestle with these decisions, they have been making moves that will pay dividends down the road. Celwin Hurkmans is a 6-foot-6 lefty pitcher who is percolating in the Netherlands. Geovanny Planchart is an aggressive catcher who has a good eye for pitches and draws a lot of walks. Additionally, Jorge Burgos is a versatile fielder who has been a clutch-hitter.
All of these pieces are vital, but they don’t replace the value of Bichette, Tucker, or Bregman to today’s Blue Jays. However, there is speculation that the Bregman interest may not be sincere.
Toronto Blue Jays Send Message to Bo Bichette With Alex Bregman Interest
Robert Murray of FanSided was recently on the Foul Territory podcast. During his appearance on the show, he discussed the Blue Jays’ reported interest in Bregman.
“We’re starting to see their name connected to Bregman now,” Murray said to the hosts on the December 22nd episode. “It makes sense, but part of me wonders…maybe that is real? But maybe that’s trying to pressure a guy like Bichette.”
The Blue Jays’ legitimate interest in Bregman does make sense. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the interest serves multiple purposes. Having an infield that plays excellent defense is a priority. Also, orchestrating a reunion with Bichette is also a priority.
Whatever is being said privately could be completely different than the information in the public eye. Anything said publicly can be used as leverage by either party, leading to vague jargon that increases speculation.
“Being in Toronto is viewed as a really good thing,” Murray continues. “You have a winning ball club, it’s a great city for baseball. They are considering all sorts of different options here.”
Now that a shift has occurred in how Toronto is viewed around the league, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that interest is legitimate. Still, the timing raises questions.
Kyle Tucker & Bo Bichette to Toronto?
As far as what happens with Tucker and Bichette, Murray had some great news to share.
“A Bichette reunion is very much on the table with them,” Murray said. “He’s obviously a homegrown player, someone they know inside and out. Tucker is also a player of interest there. Heard some different rumblings, can’t exactly figure out what’s real and what’s not, but I can confidently say that they are interested in him.”
We have known for some time that Bichette and Tucker are two strong options for the Blue Jays. Does the likelihood of Bichette coming back to Toronto go up after the Bregman interest? The jury is still out on that one.
“If you end up adding either one of those two, and I’m even seeing some buzz from the other insiders saying that they could possibly add both. That seems like a lot,” Murray said on the episode.
As Murray said, he’s saying other insiders have talked about them adding both. And the biggest spreader of that speculation has been Jeff Passan.
“I don’t think that the Blue Jays are done,” Passan said on the December 19th episode. “I’m not sure if that’s Kyle Tucker, or Alex Bregman, or Bo Bichette, or maybe multiple of them. But I think the Blue Jays right now are in a position where they are willing to spend. They feel they have a window here and they’re going to take advantage of Vladimir Guerrero’s prime years.”
Spending money isn’t the problem that the Blue Jays have right now. Their problem is bringing players on board who want to be with the team at the proposed deals they have been offered.
Bregman Going Back to Boston?
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has recently reported on the latest Boston Red Sox transactions and how they impact their roster.
“The pending acquisition of first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals was Breslow’s first step toward boosting his offense,” Rosenthal wrote on December 22nd. “But if he does not add another bat somewhere, he essentially would be swapping out Bregman for Contreras without additional upgrades to a lineup that after the All-Star break ranked only 14th in runs per game.”
And that’s where Bregman and Bichette come in.
“Free agent Bo Bichette is four years younger than Bregman, and capable of moving from shortstop to second or third,” Rosenthal continued. “A trade for Arizona’s Ketel Marte or St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan also could provide a major upgrade at second. And a number of other alternatives exist at third.”
This leads to another report suggesting that trading for Brendan Donovan might be the Red Sox’s next move.
“The Cardinals and Red Sox also have discussed a trade that would send infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to Boston,” Rosenthal wrote alongside Will Sammon. “According to people briefed on the conversations. Donovan likely would play second base.”
Re-signing Bregman doesn’t rule out the Red Sox also adding Bichette. However, if the Red Sox acquire either Donovan or Ketel Marte, that will be nothing but good news for the Blue Jays and their hopes of a Bichette reunion.
Just like the Bregman interest in the Blue Jays could be seen as a play to force a Bichette decision, the Red Sox interest in Bichette could be seen in a similar light. Either way, a domino has to fall to get the ball rolling, whether that’s a trade or a signing.
So while the hopes of adding all three of Bichette, Tucker, and Bregman are all but gone, two out of three isn’t that bad.
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