Blue Jays All-Star Will Determine Whether Team Is Buyer or Seller Ahead of Deadline
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The Toronto Blue Jays are riding a hot streak that has them right in the thick of the playoff race in the American League.
Winners in six out of their last eight games, they have pushed back over the .500 mark with a 31-29 record. Alas, their outlook to earn a playoff spot still isn’t great, with Baseball-Reference giving them a 30.3% chance.
Getting what has been a powerless offense for the most part on track would do wonders for the Blue Jays, improving their odds of making the postseason.
If they are anywhere close to the playoff race in the coming weeks, you can be sure that the front office will be buyers, looking to upgrade the roster for a push over the final months of the campaign.
Alas, given their track record, there is no guarantee that they will be remaining in the playoff mix a few weeks from now.
Toronto is arguably the most streaky team in baseball, already having 12 stretches of 3+ wins or losses this season.
That makes predicting how things could go in the weeks heading into the trade deadline very difficult, but there is one player who will help determine this team’s fate: shortstop Bo Bichette.
Bo Bichette Will Determine Blue Jays Fate Ahead of Trade Deadline
It is anyone’s guess if Bichette is going to be with the Blue Jays beyond the July 31 deadline. Set to hit the open market after the season, Toronto has an incredibly difficult decision to make, especially if they are still on the fence as playoff contenders.
The two-time All-Star has bounced back in 2025 after an abysmal 2024 that was derailed by injuries and ineffective play when he was in the lineup.
His power stroke, which the lack of drew a lot of attention earlier in the campaign as he had zero home runs heading into May, was rediscovered in the last month, with him hitting seven home runs to go along with eight doubles, giving him 17 on the year.
On the season, Bichette has a .276/.322/.425 slash line with a 109 OPS+. Not quite at the level he was producing from 2021-2023, but certainly an improvement over last year and still above average.
Can he reach that All-Star level again over the next month?
It will be the determining factor in whether or not the Blue Jays are sellers or buyers ahead of the trade deadline, with several other veterans, such as outfielder Myles Straw, starting pitcher Chris Bassitt and relief pitcher Chad Green, potentially being on the move as well.
