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Odds Heavily Favor Freddy Galvis Still Being a Blue Jay After MLB Trade Deadline

Bryan Thiel

by Bryan Thiel in MLB Baseball

Updated Apr 22, 2020 · 11:55 AM PDT

Freddy Galvis takes batting practice during his time with the Phillies.
Could a trade back to the Phillies be in the works for current Blue Jay Freddy Galvis? Photo by Keith Allison (flickr).
  • Freddy Galvis is one of a number of Blue Jays rumored to be on the trade block
  • The MLB trade deadline is Wednesday, July 31st
  • Online betting sites think the best bet is that he remains in Toronto; are they right?

When Freddy Galvis signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in January, there wasn’t much said. Mostly it was just viewed as a push for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Toronto didn’t want to simply hand him the starting shortstop job.

A slow start for Gurriel, along with a scorching one for Galvis, locked him in as the starter for the foreseeable future.

It also made him a valuable trade chip.

Now, with the MLB trade deadline around the corner, and Bo Bichette breathing down his neck, will Galvis be a Blue Jay after July 31st?

Odds Blue Jays Trade Freddy Galvis

What Team Will Freddy Galvis Play For After 2019 MLB Trade Deadline Odds
Toronto Blue Jays -145
Cleveland Indians +250
Philadelphia Phillies +500
Boston Red Sox +550
Atlanta Braves +800

Odds taken 07/28/2019.

Right now, the Blue Jays are in full sell mode. Galvis, Marcus Stroman, Ken Giles, and Eric Sogard have all come up in the rumor mill.

But while it seems a foregone conclusion that a last-place team should be willing to move assets to enhance their future … not so fast.

So let’s start with the incumbent.

Freddy Galvis Won’t Stand in Bo Bichette’s Way

While all of the preseason attention was paid to baseball’s top prospect, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, that’s not where the Jays’ pipeline stops.

In Baseball America’s preseason list, Bo Bichette slid in at number eight. A broken hand earlier this year may have delayed Bichette’s debut, but now there’s little left for him at AAA.

Freddy Galvis vs Bo Bichette

Galvis (MLB)
VS
Bichette (AAA)
99 GP 53
.268 AVG .286
15 HR 8
47 RBI 32
.985 Fielding Percentage .950
4.06 Range Factor/Game 3.47

While the comparison between the two isn’t an entirely fair one, it proves one thing for our purposes: Bo Bichette is ready. And he also would provide at least similar offensive production to Galvis.

The Jays need to move at least one of Sogard and Galvis to get Bichette semi-regular playing time down the stretch. Otherwise they’re wasting their time. While manager Charlie Montoyo loves Freddy Galvis, it makes no sense to keep him around.

Freddy Galvis’ 2019 Season

Season AVG HR RBI OBP% FLD% Defensive Runs Saved Defensive WAR
2019 .268 15 47 .303 .985 -3 0.3
Career AVG .248 14 62 .291 -145 -1.3 0.7

Galvis is currently enjoy a career year, which makes him attractive to playoff-bound teams.

While not unheard of, it’s rare that a team with World Series aspirations uproots their shortstop mid-season. And at this point, Galvis isn’t worth doing that on a contender.

So if he’s going anywhere, it’ll either be as a second baseman or utility player.

Where Could Freddy Galvis Go?

The Indians have been listed as a popular destination for Galvis, and it could work out.

It would allow them to move Jason Kipnis into the outfield, giving Galvis second base.

The Phillies don’t have a dire need on the infield, and have super utility man Scott Kingery as a piece they can shift around. The same can be said for the Braves, where Galvis would merely be an upgrade on their utility options.

Of the teams listed above, the Indians make the most sense, followed by the Red Sox.

So don’t expect Freddy Galvis to stay put come July 31st.

The Pick: Galvis goes to the Indians (+250)


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