January 08, 2026
The Phillies interest in Bo Bichette is real.
According to a report from The Athletic's Matt Gelb that was later confirmed by Jon Heyman, the team is meeting with the star infielder on Monday.
Phillies and star infielder Bo Bichette have a meeting scheduled for Monday. Feels like there’s strong mutual interest. @MattGelb 1st said they’d meet https://t.co/B4mhk4Knag
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 8, 2026
However it is a complicated path ahead for the Phillies should they endeavor to actually sign him. There is a lot to figure out:
• The interest in Bichette is directly tied to the slow moving negotiations with catcher J.T. Realmuto. The thinking in the Phils' front office is that they want to be able to have a righty impact bat even if Realmuto doesn't return and Bichette could be that guy. However it would mean they'd part ways with a mainstay, not only in the lineup and clubhouse but also behind the plate, handling the Phillies star-studded pitching staff. The catcher spot could be hitting in the nine-hole for a while if the Phillies make this move as Rafael Marchán, Garrett Stubbs or someone from a weak free agent class would complete the battery.
• The Phillies would be paying through the teeth for Bichette. His contract would likely be bigger than a Realmuto one and carry more years with it. Which would put them over the third luxury tax threshold. They would be paying a 110% tax on every dollar above the tax limit. Shedding salary contemporaneously might be hard. Would any team out there be willing to take on the elephant contracts the Phillies currently have due to Nick Castellanos ($20 million) or Taijuan Walker ($18 million) this season? Probably not.
• The Phillies would then need to find a trade partner for either Bohm or Stott. Bohm would probably make more sense and would yield more value in a trade, he has a lot of raw potential still that teams might be drawn to and he has made an All-Star appearance. He is set to be a free agent next season, however, which could diminish his value. Stott is the best defender in the Phillies infield and hits from the left side. He's worse offensively than Bohm and seems like the less likely man traded away.
• If the Phils move one of those infielders, they'd then have to teach Bichette a new position — he's never played anywhere but short or DH during the regular season with the Blue Jays. He did play second base in the World Series and a few times in the minors but never regularly. Trea Turner has also never played third base.
• Bichette has mostly hit leadoff and second in his career. The Phillies have the first two spots in the matting order pretty solidly set in Turner and Kyle Schwarber, though Turner and Bichette are mostly interchangeable. A potential lineup could have him or Turner hitting third, with Harper in the four-spot. Manager Rob Thomson would probably prefer splitting his lefty power hitters that way.
• There are a lot of suitors for Bichette too, as there are a half dozen teams, maybe more kicking the tires on him right now as free agency continues on.
The Phillies are among a number of big-market teams to have interest in Bo Bichette, an ultra young (27) free agent. Yanks, Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox and incumbent Jays, too. Bichette is the only player to hit .300 vs. fastballs, breaking balls and also changeups/splits.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 3, 2026
Is it better to be aggressive and shake things up, or bring back the innings-eating one-time best catcher in baseball for a few more years?
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