Dodgers trade for Cavan Biggio after Blue Jays designated utility player for assignment

The Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring Cavan Biggio from the Toronto Blue Jays after the club designated the 29-year-old utility player for assignment last week, the teams announced Wednesday. With Biggio, the Blue Jays also acquired cash considerations in exchange for minor-league RHP Braydon Fisher and cash considerations.

The Blue Jays removed Biggio from their 40-man roster on June 7 to make room for utility prospect Spencer Horwitz, who they called up to try to ignite their struggling offense. Biggio reached five years of service time earlier this season, meaning he would have had to agree to an assignment to the minor leagues and he chose not to, prompting the DFA.

Biggio will now join a Dodgers team that leads the National League West division by 7 1/2 games.

Welcome to Los Angeles, Cavan! pic.twitter.com/tfdt04XGxj

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 12, 2024

Biggio was off to a slow start at the plate this season, hitting .200/.323/.291 with two home runs in 131 plate appearances. His best offensive quality is his patience at the plate, with a 10.7 percent walk rate this season, although that has been slipping a bit each year. He is, however, a versatile defensive player who can play first, second and third base as well as the corner outfield spots.

Biggio, whose father is Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round in 2016 and was developed in their system alongside fellow sons of major leaguers Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Biggio made his MLB debut in May 2019 — the same year as Guerrero and Bichette — and was a core member of the Blue Jays through their rebuilding years and into their more competitive seasons.

But in recent years, Biggio had started to lose playing time and was playing increasingly less this season as Toronto opted to play other utility players Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Davis Schneider more frequently.

The Blue Jays, who are two games back of a wild-card spot and ranked 25th in runs scored, are desperate to generate more runs. As The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal detailed, they have increasingly been making sacrifices on defense to do so. Even though Biggio was a versatile, plus-defender this season, the Blue Jays have opted to hang onto other players who are one-dimensional but offer more potential for offense and power such as designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach.

Overall, in 490 games with the Blue Jays, Biggio hit .227/.343/.382 with 48 home runs.