Phillies meeting with Bo Bichette: Explaining why Blue Jays superstar is great fit in Philly

Matt Sullivan

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Phillies meeting with Bo Bichette: Explaining why Blue Jays superstar is great fit in Philly image

The Philadelphia Phillies this offseason have already made a few high-quality moves, but more could be on the way.

While they've been trying to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, the two sides have been in a standstill, and now, Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies have turned to infielder Bo Bichette as a free agent option.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the two sides are meeting on Monday, January 12th. But why are the Phillies meeting with an infielder with a full infield? The reason is clear: Bichette would be a huge upgrade and is a great fit in Philadelphia.

Why Phillies are meeting with Bo Bichette

Gelb reported that the Phillies have "... Scheduled a meeting with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette and done extensive work on various roster ripple effects of signing him,"

Amid the meeting between the two sides, the fit in Philadelphia is clear. Bichette would likely take over one of two positions: third base or second base. Bryson Stott is not likely to go anywhere, as he'd take up the spot Bichette doesn't.

In response, the Phillies would likely trade away Alec Bohm, which would save them $10.2 million in salary this season, which would make having Bichette on the payroll a lot more feasible.

But, the Phillies would also be completely parting ways with Realmuto, as the veteran catcher wouldn't fit within the team's expected available payroll.

Based on their current negotiations, he won't take a big discount to come back to Philadelphia, and instead is more likely to sign elsewhere.

More: Phillies get bad news on Bo Bichette amid unexpected challenge from Alex Bregman Cubs deal

Bichette, the two-time All-Star with the Blue Jays, is coming off a strong 2025 season with a.311 batting average and a solid World Series with a 1.043 OPS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Adding Bichette to the lineup would give the top four a much-better outlook, as Bichette is a significant upgrade over Bohm and Realmuto at the plate.

From Bichette's perspective, he would be joining a top contender in the NL alongside Don Mattingly, the Blue Jays bench coach last season.

The fit between the two isn't as clear-cut as some other free-agent fits would be, but the Phillies have explored ways to make this work, and their meeting today only further signifies their seriousness for a potential contract.

Phillies fans should be excited, as this connection between Bichette and the Phillies is real, and their meeting further signifies how a contract is very possible between the two this winter.

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Editorial Team