Phillies ‘overwhelming favorite’ to sign Bo Bichette

The Philadelphia Philles are closing in on one of the biggest names in the free agency class. Yesterday, it was reported that the team was in the mix for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette. Bob Nightengale’s report corroborates Jon Heyman’s observations in his latest post on X.

“The Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign infielder Bo Bichette, while the Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger,” Heyman posted on X.

There are a few issues with a potential Bo Bichette signing for the Phillies. For one, Bichette is expected to sign a megadeal, muddying up a payroll that’s already at the fourth luxury tax apron ($304 million). There’s also the matter of position fit: shortstop Trea Turner was an MVP-level candidate last season, finishing fifth in the NL MVP race.

There are reasonable answers to both questions. With regards to the contract concerns, the Phillies are expected to move some pieces around to make way for Bichette. Long-time veteran catcher JT Realmuto and infielder Alec Bohm will be the likely casualties to be moved via trade. Outfielder Nick Castellanos and starter Taijuan Walker will also likely be moved.

As for the position fit, Bichette is reportedly open to playing a different position in the infield. The Blue Jays shortstop will either replace Bohm at third base or Bryson Stott at second. In fact, Bichette played second base in the last World Series. Given Bichette’s defensive struggles at SS, it would be in the Phillies’ best interest to play him at 2B, a far less demanding position defensively than shortstop.

Bichette bounced back from a down year in 2024. In the 2025 season, Bichette posted a .340 batting average, an .840 OPS, and hit 18 home runs. While he was absent for most of the Blue Jays’ postseason run due to injury, he played in the World Series and posted a monster .923 OPS in his 27 plate appearances through seven games.