The Blue Jays had some largely exploratory trade talks involving early last offseason, writes. This isnt exactly new news, as last November indicated that the shortstops name indeed come up in trade discu sions, though those talks were portrayed as other teams checking on Bichettes availability. Mitchell, however, specifies that the Jays did indeed shop Bichette. As always, theres plenty of gray area when parsing hot-stove terminology, as the distinction between actively trying to move Bichette and listening on Bichette trade offers could be pretty thin. Executives routinely discu s scores of players in trade talks with other clubs, just as a matter of due diligence in gauging interest. For instance, if Blue Jays GM Ro s Atkins had learned that a rival club had a particular interest in Bichette and had a player or players that the Jays liked, Atkins might have been more inclined to Elton Brand Jersey shop Bichette in that particular direction in order to swing a favorable trade for Toronto. In any case, as Mitchell observes, revisiting any trade talks involving Bichette this winter could be difficult because the shortstop is coming off an injury-plagued down year, so the Blue Jays arent likely to land a premium return even if they did look to move Bichette. More from around the AL East. Some clear discord developed between the Red Sox and last April, writes, when Yoshida was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain. Yoshida chose to seek out second and third opinions on his sprain, which apparently didnt sit well with the team, who felt the initial a se sment (that Yoshida wouldnt need surgery) was enough. Yoshida ended up not needing surgery, and spent a little more than six weeks on the IL before returning in mid-June. Between this situation and Yoshidas displeasure at being a DH-only player who mostly faced only right-handed pitching, Cotillo wonders if both sides would benefit from a trade this winter. Such a move is easier said than done, of course, as Yoshida is owed $54MM over the 2025-27 seasons, and has been good (112 wRC+ in 1001 plate appearances) but not great over his two Major League seasons. Yoshida was also for much of 2024, which could represent another red flag for any interested trade suitors. is slated to throw between 20-30 times during a game of catch today, the Yankees left-hander told . This represents the first time Cortes has thrown since suffering a flexor strain in late September. Cortes said he was feeling good in his recovery to date, and if my body responds and if my arm responds, well try to be as quick as po sible in charting out a potential return to the mound. The Yankees would naturally need to advance to at least the ALCS in order to give Cortes any chance of pitching again in 2024, and even if New York does get deeper into October, it remains to be seen if Cortes will be able to be healthy enough to merit a roster spot. Jay Scrubb Jersey