As the offseason continues across Major League Baseball, fans everywhere are clamoring for their teams to make an unexpected splash. Meanwhile, in front offices and scouting rooms, executives are scanning the markets looking for the right time to strike. Reportedly, in the City of Philadelphia, both groups have been turning up the heat.
On Jan. 3, Jon Heyman reported that the Phillies have expressed interest in shortstop Bo Bichette along with other high-budget teams such as the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, and Red Sox. With Bichette’s first home in the Toronto Blue Jays seemingly moving on following the signing of Kazuma Okamoto, the Bichette market has seemingly come to focus in what has been a relatively slow offseason for the top hitting class.
When a team is a yearly contender like the Phillies, it is in their best interest to check in with the top free agents every offseason. Executives would call it their “due diligence.” At first glance, it would appear that is exactly what the Phillies are doing.
The Phillies’ infield of 2025 is still intact going into 2026. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are signed to long-term contracts and are unlikely to be moved into the outfield any time soon. At second base, Bryson Stott is entering his second year of arbitration and is slated to become a free agent after the 2027 season. Alec Bohm is in his third year of arbitration with the third baseman set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
The infield appears set and, during last month’s introductory press conference for Adolis Garcia, Dave Dombrowski essentially confirmed it. He went on to comment that “Catcher is our main focus at this point.”
Now, Dombrowski has been a part of a major league front office for over 40 years. He has mastered the art of not letting on more than he wants to. He also no doubt sees the Phillies’ struggles in the postseason over the past few seasons, and is looking for ways to improve their odds against a late-season shutdown.
In the case of Bo Bichette, it is not about whether he is a fit, but whether the Phillies believe the disruption would be worth the upgrade.
Age 27, Bichette has established himself as one of the top consistent high-average bats in the league. Bichette has batted over .300 four of his seven professional seasons. He has only batted below .290 once in his career, in a 2024 season that was plagued by injury.
His consistent bat would serve as a strong counterweight to the Phillies’ more power-focused and often streaky lineup in the likes of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and newcomer Adolis Garcia. If the Phillies were to add Bichette, it would create another consistent hitter early in the lineup.
There is no doubt that the Phillies’ lineup would instantly improve with Bichette in it. But that begs a question: Where would he fit? As previously mentioned, the Phillies’ infield is full and the designated hitter slot is occupied.
In seven years of action, Bichette has played 6,184 innings in the field. All 6,184 of them have been played at shortstop. Surely the Phillies would not move Turner, their $300 million shortstop, to a different position.
That would mean Bichette would need to move to either second or third base. Comparing the three at their respective positions, Bichette had the worst defensive range by a large margin in 2025 (OAA). Bichette’s arm strength outpegs Bohm and Stott, though not by a large margin.
Meanwhile, Bohm and Stott have both improved immensely at their positions in recent years. Bohm went from once being laughed at at third base to being, by most definitions, an average defender at the position with the ability to make plays with his height. Stott, after transitioning to second base when the Phillies acquired Turner, has become a strong defensive asset at the position. Putting him at second base hides any concerns about arm range and instead allows him to steward his speed to make plays in the infield.
If the Phillies did sign Bichette, they will need to make a decision as to which homegrown infielder they part ways with.
At 27, Bichette is in the prime of his major league career. Whichever team signs the dotted line to acquire him will be getting statistically the best years of his already top-of-the-line career. At the beginning of the offseason, Bichette declined the Blue Jays’ one-year, $22.5 million qualifying offer. While any talks of official offers are nonexistent, Bichette is likely to land a multi-year contract up to seven years with an AAV of $25 to $30 million.
A contract of that size and length would be the Phillies’ fifth high-value contract lasting into the next decade. Schwarber, Turner, Harper, and Aaron Nola, all age 33, are signed until at least 2030. While Bichette is much younger than that core, it would still represent at least a $130 million yearly commitment to those players, larger than many teams’ entire payrolls.
The Phillies, in the past several years, have seen their payroll increase substantially as they continue to rank as one of the highest payrolls in the league. They have proven they will pay big money, but with intention.
Dombrowski has made a vocal intention to focus on the catcher position. Realmuto is still a free agent and while Dombrowski intends to re-sign him, time may be running out. The larger objective for Dombrowski remains the same — win the World Series. Adding Bichette may aid in the larger objective more than re-signing Realmuto, and the Phillies are unlikely to do both.
The Phillies have a strong case to go after Bichette as a consistent bat to bolster the lineup. Should they go down that path, the Phillies will need to navigate having one more infielder than they have starting positions.
Bohm is seemingly connected to trade talks at every turn, so he may be the one to be flipped to another team with one year left on his contract. Stott, however, could catch a higher price with one additional year of control, however the Phillies would then lose a left-handed bat. Additionally, the Phillies would then need to figure out a low-cost fix at catcher, whether it be trusting Rafael Marchán or adding an outside catcher.
The added moves and salary constraints would create a large game of gymnastics for the Phillies to play should they sign Bichette. If Dombrowski believes the ends justify the means, he just might pull the trigger. It’s possible the Phillies are set to make their next big splash, or this is simply Dombrowski doing what experienced front offices do best: checking every angle.
