The Philadelphia Phillies were strongly pursuing infielder Bo Bichette for a long-term deal, with a reported figure around $200 million and seven years.
But Bichette decided to join the Phillies' NL East division rival, the New York Mets. It was a heartbreaking decision for the Phillies, and the story behind the decision makes it even worse.
But, just how close did the Phillies get to signing Bichtte? Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed insight into just how close they got with a significant J.T. Realmuto admission from the Phillies front office.
Phillies got so close to signing Bo Bichette
"All that was left, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, was 'crossing the T's and dotting the I's' on the Phillies offer to the star infielder," Lauber writes.
Bichette had told the Phillies, through his agent, that the $200 million, seven-year offer was one he'd do if the Phillies agreed to it. When they did, the deal with Bichette was nearly struck.
But, even before that offer was agreed to in principle, the Phillies felt confident about their chances of getting Bichette. Going days back, to their meeting with Bichette, the Phillies were confident.
"The Zoom meeting went well enough that Dombrowski called Realmuto's agent to inform him the Phillies might be going in another direction," Lauber writes.
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But, despite the Phillies feeling in control, Bichette left to join the Mets, and the Phillies quickly rebounded and reached out to Realmuto to bring him back.
Lauber isn't the only one to highlight just how close this deal was. Dave Dombrowski said, "We were very close to having a deal done. We thought it was going to happen."
The Phillies were on the doorstep of signing Bichette to a long-term deal. It's a near miss for the Phillies, made a lot worse with Bichette going to a division rival in the Mets.
How close did the Phillies get to signing Bichette? They were incredibly close, as the Phillies agreed to Bichette's asking price.
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