New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is arguably one of the more frustrating players in baseball. He has always appeared to have impressive offensive talent, but he has yet to display it on a regular basis since joining the big leagues.
This is now Volpe’s third season, and his struggles have remained. He owns a .228/.311/.412 slash line, and while he has posted nine home runs, 20 doubles and 44 RBI, his inconsistency is maddening.
We know that the 24-year-old is elite defensively, but his subpar bat is becoming a major source of frustration for Yankees fans.
As a result, there are some wondering if New York could ultimately replace Volpe sometime in the near future, and Stephen Parello of Yanks Go Yard has pitched an idea: Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.
Bichette is slated to hit free agency next winter, and with the Blue Jays having just handed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a massive $500 million contract extension, it doesn’t seem likely that they will retain Bichette.
The former second-round pick will surely have a plethora of suitors on the open market, but Parello thinks the Bronx could represent the best fit for him.
“At the end of the day, Bichette would give the Yankees a much higher floor with the same superstar ceiling,” Parello wrote. “He’d cost more in terms of cash than Volpe, who becomes arbitration eligible for the first time after this season, but after years of no significant improvement, the cost is warranted to secure a player who can be part of a championship core.”
Bichette is slashing .272/.311/.427 with 11 homers and 49 RBI this season and owns a lifetime .790 OPS, which is dragged down by his miserable outlier of a campaign in 2024 when he slashed .225/.277/.322 in 81 games. But historically, he is an impressive hitter.
However, Bichette is also terrible defensively, which could make the Yankees think twice about swapping out Volpe for him, especially considering how badly their defense undermined them last year.
