Heavy
The New York Yankees have reached the breaking point with their current shortstop, Anthony Volpe. Benched multiple times this summer and leading the league in errors, Volpe has become the focal point of frustration in a season where the Bronx has demanded more. Naturally, the rumors followed. National outlets and analysts have thrown out the same solution again and again: sign Bo Bichette.
It sounds like a blockbuster move on the surface. Bichette is a name. Bichette hits. And Bichette would steal headlines by leaving the rival Toronto Blue Jays for the Yankees. But peel back the hype, and the numbers tell a story the Yankees can’t afford to ignore.
A Bat That Plays, A Glove That Doesn’t
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Offensively, Bichette has reestablished himself after a brutal 2024. He’s hitting .304 with an .819 OPS in 2025, producing a strong .363 xwOBA and posting some of the lowest strikeout rates in the league. The bat speed isn’t elite (just 13th percentile), but his ability to put the ball in play and rack up doubles has long made him a dangerous table-setter.
That’s the selling point. Writers argue he’d make sense in pinstripes because he could bat ahead of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, creating the kind of traffic the Yankees have sorely lacked. On paper, he’s a top-of-the-order upgrade.
But shortstop is not an on-paper position. It’s the defensive anchor of the infield, and here’s where the fantasy falls apart. Bichette owns a -12 Outs Above Average mark this season, placing him as the worst MLB shortstop. His Fielding Run Value sits at -10, another red flag. According to Statcast, his range has collapsed, his sprint speed is down to the 21st percentile, and his arm strength has slipped to the 33rd percentile.
That is not an upgrade. That is a liability.
Trading One Problem for Another
This is why the constant projections feel disconnected from reality. The Yankees already have a shortstop problem. Yes, the current option hasn’t hit enough, but he at least brought a Gold Glove pedigree before this season’s collapse. Bringin Bichette would flip the equation: better bat, worse glove.
Defensively, the numbers make it clear. Over seven seasons, Bichette has accumulated -32 Outs Above Average. That’s not a one-year dip or a slump—it’s a career pattern. He has never profiled as even an average defender at the position, and at age 27, there’s little reason to expect a sudden turnaround.
The Yankees would be choosing offense at the cost of further destabilizing their infield. That’s not how championship teams are built, especially in a ballpark where ground balls up the middle turn into hits all too easily.
The speculation may generate clicks, but it doesn’t withstand scrutiny. Bichette is an attractive name, a marketable star, and a talented hitter. But as a solution to the Yankees’ shortstop woes? The glove makes him the wrong fit at the wrong time.
For the Yankees, signing Bichette would be a headline move—and a defensive disaster.
Alvin Garcia Born in Puerto Rico, Alvin Garcia is a sports writer for Heavy.com who focuses on MLB. His work has appeared on FanSided, LWOS, NewsBreak, Athlon Sports, and Yardbarker, covering mostly MLB. More about Alvin Garcia
