Why Phillies lost Bo Bichette to Mets despite meeting contract demands

Contributor
Matt Sullivan
Why Phillies lost Bo Bichette to Mets despite meeting contract demands image

The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt some brutal news on Friday morning, as Bo Bichette, the player they'd been courting for the last week or so, came to an agreement with the New York Mets on a three-year, $126 million deal.

Losing Bichette would've stung regardless of which team got him, but with it being the Mets, there's even more sour grapes over this decision. But what makes this even worse is the report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The Phillies met the demands Bichette had for the Phillies, and yet, he still signed with the Mets. There's one main difference between the Phillies and Mets offers: opt-outs.

The Phillies lost Bo Bichette to Mets over an opt-out

"The Phillies had agreed to Bo Bichette's request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes," Nightengale reports.

This update from Nightengale reveals that the Phillies had a good chance to sign Bichette, as they agreed to his contract demands on Thursday night.

Bichette asked for $200 million over seven years from the Phillies, got it, and yet decided to go to the Mets on a $126 million, three-year deal.

While there's a big difference in AAV ($28.57M from the Phillies and $42M from the Mets), there's another big reason he joined the Mets instead of the Phillies.

In his Mets deal, Bichette has opt-outs after the first and second seasons. Meaning, Bichette, with a strong 2026, could opt out of his deal and join the free-agent market once again.

More: MLB Hot Stove tracker: Live updates on news, rumors, signings and trades for 2025 free agency

This would allow Bichette to get a lofty $42 million for 2026, and then re-enter the market and land a bigger deal with a successful season.

Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman did just that, maximizing both their long-term and present-day value. But, from the Philies' perspective, this kind of deal was a non-starter.

The Phillies weren't looking for a rental; they wanted Bichette for the long haul. An opt-out wasn't what the Phillies were going to do, not for Bichette, or any free agent they're interested in.

Bichette chose the Mets over the Phillies, thanks in large part to the opt-out, the difference in AAV, and the Mets having plenty of cash to spend after losing Kyle Tucker to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's a disastrous scenario for the Phillies, as they've now lost their top free agent target and will have to pivot to lesser options, if any, this winter.

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