If Bo Bichette had it his way, DJ LeMahieu would be the Toronto Blue Jays‘ top off-season target.
In an appearance on teammate Ross Stripling‘s Big Swing Podcast on Wednesday, the 22-year-old shortstop gushed about the potential of having the star second baseman as a double-play partner.
“I think DJ LeMahieu is the best hitter in baseball, and I don’t even really think it’s close, from what I’ve seen. He’s probably the No. 1 player I’d want to play with in the league,” Bichette said.
“If that would happen, that would be awesome for us, but either way, man, our team’s pretty good already.”
Per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the Blue Jays have been engaged with all the top free agents on the market, including LeMahieu, George Springer, J.T. Realmuto and Trevor Bauer.
On Monday, it was reported that LeMahieu and the New York Yankees were more than $25 million apart in contract talks.
Bichette is particularly excited about the prospect of LeMahieu joining the Blue Jays because he saw up close how talented he is. Bichette’s father, former MLB outfielder and major league coach for the Blue Jays, Dante Bichette, worked as a hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies in 2013 during LeMahieu’s second season. And Bichette, then 15, got to spend some time with the LeMahieu in the batting cage.
“The way he goes about his game is crazy — he’s a killer,” said Bichette of the 32-year-old slugger.
Stripling, who came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2020 trade deadline, has also seen plenty of LeMahieu — more than enough — in both the NL and AL.
“I’m just stuck facing that guy, so I’m hoping he’s in our uniform instead, because he’s the worst to pitch to,” he said.
“Back in the day, when he was tucked in there between (Trevor) Story, (Charlie) Blackmon and (Nolan) Arenado and it’s just awful, because he can hit wherever he wants, that outfield in Colorado is so gigantic. It’s brutal.”
Brutal is right. LeMahieu terrorized AL pitchers in 2020, recording a league-best .364 batting average and .421 on-base percentage with 10 home runs and 27 RBI.
