Blue Jays Send Cavan Biggio To Dodgers
Cavan Biggio was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays around a week ago and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for relief pitcher Braydon Fisher.
Cavan Biggio was a part of the “super trio” for which the Blue Jays had high expectations. He made his debut in 2019 alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Cavan is the son of hall-of-famer Craig Biggio, who played his entire career with the Houston Astros. While Cavan will not follow in his footsteps and play for one team for the entirety of his career, this change of scenery may be what the 29-year-old needs.
Cavan is a career .227/.343/.382 hitter with 48 home runs and 176 RBIs. These numbers are disappointing, to say the least. Cavan was touted as the future of the keystone for the Blue Jays, playing 252 career games at second base. He’s primarily played right field, after second base, as well as first base and third base. He can play anywhere you put him and will be at least a competent fielder.
The issue has never been Cavan’s fielding as he has committed only 27 errors in his career and has a fielding percentage of 98.3%. Unfortunately, his offense is the issue. Cavan is slashing .200/.323/.291 in 2024 with just 2 home runs and 9 RBIs. With the emergence of Davis Schneider and the arrival of “super utility” man Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Cavan was on the outside looking in for a Toronto team sitting 1 game under .500 and just 2 games out of the Wild Card race.
Moving to the Dodgers could prove to be a beneficial move for Cavan as LA has received minimal production from players that occupy positions Cavan can confidently slot into. Max Muncy is currently injured, which opens up some doors for Cavan as well. While I do expect Cavan to come in and push for playing time with the Dodgers almost immediately, time will tell if he can turn things around and approach his expectations. Dodger Stadium, according to Baseball Savant, has not been very forgiving to left-handed hitters the last 3 years. It ranks 24th in hits and batting average on contact for lefties, whereas Rogers Centre ranks 17th and 15th, respectively. However, a new coaching staff and teammates could prove to have more of an impact than just the stadium he primarily plays in.
Future Odds Prediction: Dodgers
While I don’t necessarily think acquiring Cavan Biggio from the Blue Jays moves the needle astronomically for the Dodgers, I do think that it helps them fill a void that they have been lacking all season. This is a low-cost, low-risk acquisition for a player with all the talent in the world. He could very well come in and start to click and provide the Dodgers with some much-needed stability at various positions of need, specifically second base.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Hard Rock, are -5000 to win the NL West, +150 to win the National League pennant, and +300 to win the World Series. These are all the favorite lines in their respective categories. Now, the Dodgers hold a 7.5-game lead in the NL West and are just 5.5 games behind for the best record in the sport (5 games behind for the best record in the National League). It’s not crazy to say that the Dodgers will win the NL West and make the playoffs, but I don’t necessarily think this is due to this acquisition.
However, Cavan could prove to be a productive piece of this team and allow for stability. I would expect him to get the majority of the starts at second base but there is no reason to believe he won’t be moved around as he has shown his ability to play everywhere. This is a huge asset to the Dodgers as they can now find out where everyone plays best and make sure they always field the best team every time they go out to play.
Future Odds Prediction: Blue Jays
I’d love to say that I think this has any impact at all on the Blue Jays but, truthfully, Cavan Biggio had already been designated for assignment. He had lost his job in the majors to a myriad of other players and was on the outside looking in for this Toronto team. If they were okay with sending him to the minors, they are okay with him not being in the organization anymore.
Now, they did get back a relief pitcher in the swap which could benefit them in the long run. Braydon Fisher was drafted in 2018 and has thrown 228.2 innings at all levels in the minors. He has a 4.53 ERA and sports a 1.452 WHIP throughout his minor league career. These numbers don’t exactly jump off the screen at you, but they aren’t terrible. This is a 23-year-old young man who has PLENTY of time to develop.
I don’t think we will see Fisher making his debut in 2024 nor do I see him developing into a high-leverage reliever, but it doesn’t hurt to acquire pitching depth. Especially when it’s at the expense of a player that you no longer “need”. Still, it’s never a terrible idea to make a play for future seasons when you can afford to and I think this is exactly what the Blue Jays did.
Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, by way of Cincinnati, Ohio, this diehard Kansas City Chiefs, Michigan Wolverines, and Cincinnati Reds fan is dedicated to fantasy sports. Constantly touted as “obsessed” by friends and family members, Anthony likes to think it’s just a dedicated hobby. For over a decade now, Anthony has played in and commissioned many different types of leagues but prefers the confines of dynasty. Outside of fantasy sports, Anthony is a school counselor at a local high school who loves reading, biking, rollerblading, doing puzzles, and pretty much anything with his beautiful wife.
