Guardians in the top five of potential landing spots for Blue Jays star shortstop

There has been a noticeable lack of offense from one position in particular for the Cleveland Guardians this season that is in need of being addressed before MLB's trade deadline. Shortstop.

The offensive production that Cleveland has received from the likes of Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias has been far from ideal. While there are possible internal solutions to this issue, sometimes they are not always ready to contribute when they are needed to, leading to the possibility that a trade could be made to make up for the lack of contributions offensively. One potential trade target for Cleveland is Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.

The Guardians were ranked as the number four team in a list of Bo Bichette Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors, Blue Jays' Rocky Start to 2024 by Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rhymer. Cleveland is one of two American League Central teams to appear on the list, with the Kansas City Royals occupying the number seven spot.

Thisis actaully the second timethat the Guardians have been identifiedas a trade partner for the Blue Jays by Rhymer, with Cleveland being named a potential landing spot for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not too long ago.BothBichette andGuerrero Jr. make sense for the Guardians, but if a choice had tobe madebetween the two, the choice should be Bichette. Cleveland really needs to have an offensive upgrade at shortstop in the worst way. Meanwhile, the combination of Josh Naylor and Kyle Manzardo at first base and designated hitter are doing more thanfineand appear to be lineup mainstays for the foreseeable future.

Even though Bichette is having a down year by his standards (.251/.298/.365 slash line, 91 OPS+), it is much better than what the Guardians have received from Rocchio (.207/.309/.267 slash line, 70 OPS+), and Arias (.215/.241/.318 slash line, 61 OPS+). There is also the fact that Bichette has an established track record of being one of the most productive offensive shortstops in the game, while the duo of Rocchio and Arias may be bench bats at best.

If the Guardians truly believe they are a contender this season and can make a deep playoff run, a trade for Bichette is a no-brainer. Cleveland's front office must realize that offensive contributions from shortstop have been lacking this year and that waiting for Rocchio, Arias, or any other internal option to change may not be the answer here. Bichette is a known commodity and would be an instant upgrade over all other options available. Should Bichette be made available by the Blue Jays, the Guardians would be wise to make a hard push to acquire his services.