The Atlanta Braves season was considered a disappointment by many after they barely made the postseason and were swept by the San Diego Padres. The Braves and general manager Alex Anthopoulos could look to bring in a star player next season to give the team a boost.
FanSided's John Buhler proposed this trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that would send two-time All-Star Bo Bichette to the Braves in a 4-player swap:
- Braves receive: shortstop Bo Bichette
- Blue Jays receive: shortstop Orlando Arcia, catcher Drake Baldwin and right-handed pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver
MLB Pipeline has Baldwin as the No. 5 prospect in the Braves organization and Smith-Shawver as the No. 2. Orlando Arcia struggled in 2024 after being named an All-Star in 2023. Defensively, Bichette and Arcia are not far apart, but Arcia was a problem for the Braves offensively last year. He had a .218 batting average.
"Simply put, Atlanta cannot have a walking out at shortstop next season. Arcia was great during his first season as the starter in 2023, but regressed to the mean last year," wrote Buhler. "He is not making very much on his contract, and will be entering the final year of it. Baldwin is the real piece a team like Toronto would want. Smith-Shawver could be good one day, but nobody in Braves Country believes in him."
Bichette dealt with injuries in 2024 while also having his worst offensive season. However, he has shown the player he is and that 2024 was likely an outlier at the plate. He has led the American League in hits twice in his young career. He will be a free agent soon and the Blue Jays could be headed to a rebuild as Bichette was the center of trade rumors at the deadline.
"Most importantly, Bichette is the type of player that Anthopoulos loves to extend. He is on the good side of 30 and not making a ton of money this season, a shade over $11 million," wrote Buhler. "Would it shock you if Bichette is traded to the Braves shortly before his 27th birthday and signs a five-year extension worth $20 million-plus, with $1 million of that going to the Braves Foundation in an email release?"
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