We can all safely put the narrative of Bo Bichette being traded to bed.
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the season with hopes of contending for the playoffs, and even though they got off to a tepid start, they've hit the ground running in June. At 38-30, they'd be in the playoffs as the first American League wild-card team if October began on Friday.
Bichette, the Blue Jays' two-time All-Star shortstop, is leading the charge at the top of the lineup. He still hasn't really hit his stride yet this season, and neither has teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
So in a year where team president Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins, and manager John Schneider are all fighting for their jobs, expect the Blue Jays to do anything but sell at the deadline.
On Friday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted that the Blue Jays not only would hold onto Bichette, but that they would also make an impact addition or two to help their playoff case in a winnable AL East.
"Unless there's a huge swoon in the coming weeks, the Blue Jays will almost certainly hold onto Bichette and Chris Bassitt, two players in contract years," Kelly wrote.
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"Not only will Toronto hope Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Bowden Francis turn around disappointing seasons, but it will also likely make some additions to try to sneak into the playoffs as an AL wild-card representative, if not the AL East champions."
If we're making a shopping list for Toronto, the pitching staff has to be the primary target. Another starter would help protect against injury and raise the rotation's ceiling, while more bullpen arms would ease the burden on Hoffman, Mason Little, and Chad Green.
The main point, though, is that the Blue Jays finally have some direction. And it's the direction they've been hoping to take all along--the path toward the playoffs.
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