The Toronto Blue Jays could be forced to look for a replacement at shortstop if they lose Bo Bichette in free agency this offseason.
One of the top options on the board is Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, one of the best trade chips on the block right now. Toronto could be the perfect landing spot.
Jakob Oliver of Just Baseball urged the Blue Jays to trade breakout pitcher Trey Yesavage for Marte in the coming weeks.
“Yesavage would likely be the pitcher Arizona asks for in return from Toronto instead of an aging José BerrÃos or an expensive short-term vet,” Oliver wrote. “While the Blue Jays would likely balk at this, Yesavage could be the young, controllable ace that Arizona is yearning to get in return. The plus for the Blue Jays is that they have so many starters right now that they would be able to offset the loss of Yesavage rather easily.
“Though replacing a record-setting rookie pitcher is tough to do, the Jays have the arms to attempt it. It likely wouldn’t take much more than Yesavage and his six years of control to acquire Marte.”
While Marte would be a huge addition for the Blue Jays, giving up Yesavage might be too steep a price tag.
Yesavage burst onto the scene at the end of last season, and he’s already emerged as a potential ace in Toronto. It would be hard to imagine the front office trading him already.
There’s a world in which the Blue Jays add Marte, but it would be asking a lot for them to trade Yesavage.
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