Apr 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) smiles in the dugout before the start of the game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
It appears there is smoke regarding the Phillies and free-agent infielder Bo Bichette.
According to Matt Gelb and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Phillies plan to meet virtually with the 27-year-old, and it seems it's more than just doing due-diligence:
"Bichette is expected to meet with Phillies officials on a video conference call in the coming days, those sources said. The club’s interest in Bichette is legitimate, and if it results in a deal, it would likely require the team to move on from roster mainstays J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm."
Jon Heyman of The New York Post hears that the meeting will take place Monday.
Realmuto remains a free agent, and while the Phillies have made clear they want him to return, it is fair to ask how far they should go for a catcher who is entering his age-35 season and posted a .700 OPS this past year. That's not to deny what Realmuto brings in terms of game preparation, though stuff like that can be difficult to quantify.
Meanwhile, Bohm and the Phillies avoided arbitration Thursday, with Gelb saying the two sides agreed to a $10.2 million salary for 2026. Avoiding arbitration does not, however, prevent a trade before the season. It's unclear how much the Phillies would get in return in a Bohm trade beyond salary relief, but they shouldn't have any trouble finding some interested suitors, particularly once Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez are no longer free agents.
Heyman — who originally reported that the Phillies were in on Bichette last weekend — also added this information in a report Thursday:
"Bichette has a great relationship from Toronto with new Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly. The super focused, win-first Phillies would need to move 3B Alec Bohm, then use Bichette either at 3B or 2B (and move Bryson Stott to 3B). Phillies players were texting Bichette about the possibility last weekend, when Bichette was celebrating his wedding."
Even if the Phillies trade Bohm and don't bring back Realmuto, they'll likely need additional funding from John Middleton's ownership group. I projected at the outset of the offseason on Bleacher Report that Bichette would sign a seven-year/$210 million contract. Maybe he won't get quite that much, but one would think he's looking at $27-$30 million annually on his contract. Bohm is making $10.2 million, while Realmuto will probably get somewhere between $12 and $15 million. So even if the Phillies have budgeted for, say, $25 million between Bohm and Realmuto, Bichette would be a larger salary. Not to mention, the Phillies would still need to add another catcher.
It is worth noting here that the Phillies do have $38 million combined set to come off the books after 2026 between just Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker. So maybe they bite the bullet for a year financially in an attempt to get over the hump in October.
There's no doubt that Bichette would be a massive addition to the lineup for the Phillies. First of all, at 27, he's still relatively young on an aging team. Secondly, he led baseball in hits in both 2021 and 2022, and would have again in 2025 if not for a left knee sprain that forced him to miss most of September and all of Toronto's run to the World Series. (He did return in the World Series, but was clearly limited physically.) He could be the cleanup hitter or push either Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber to that spot in the lineup.
Bichette has spent his whole career at shortstop, but has minus-19 defensive runs saved and minus-32 outs above average at his natural position over parts of seven seasons. He did play a little second base in the World Series, and MLB.com's Mark Feinsand previously reported that "the two-time All-Star has let potential suitors know that he is ready, willing and able to move to second base."
Obviously for the Phillies, it would be preferable to have Bichette play third base, but if he's willing to play second, that would be worth it to get his bat. If Bohm was traded and Bichette played second, Bryson Stott would presumably shift to third base — a spot he played a bit early in his MLB career — until top prospect Aidan Miller is ready to take over at the hot corner.
There's a lot of moving parts here, but based on today's reporting, it seems like the Phillies signing Bichette has become a real possibility.
