In recent days, the Philadelphia Phillies have come into the free agent market for Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette. Thanks to J.T. Realmuto and the Phillies not coming to terms, Dave Dombrowski has pivoted to Bichette.
With a meeting scheduled for Monday, there is hope that the Phillies can sign Bichette to a free-agent deal. But it might now be a lot harder than normal, and the Phillies have the Chicago Cubs to thank.
As Jeff Passan of ESPN reports, the Cubs have signed Alex Bregman to a five-year contract worth $175 million. A follow-up report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed the Phillies' impact: Bichette's market just got a new suitor.
Phillies get bad news from Cubs on Bo Bichette market
"The Boston Red Sox will now turn their sights to Bo Bichette," Nightengale reports after the Cubs signed Bregman.
After the Boston Red Sox lost out on Bregman to the Cubs, Boston's front office is now expected to go after Bichette for their infield.
When the Phillies were first reported to have a serious interest in Bichette, they were seemingly the best suitor.
The Blue Jays aren't expected to go after Bichette after signing Kazuma Okamoto, while the Red Sox were focused on going after Bregman.
More: Phillies have 3 teams competing for J.T. Realmuto's signature in free agency
But now with Bregman off the board and to the Cubs as a surprising landing spot, the Phillies now have some tough competition for Bichette this winter.
Don Mattingly is a factor in the Phillies favor, but if the bidding war for Bichette ramps up, the Phillies might not be able to compete with the Red Sox thanks to their limited payroll.
While Bregman's contract isn't ideal for the Phillies, Bichette coming to Philadelphia is still a possibility. The only issue is that it's now a more challenging market, with the Red Sox expected to get involved.
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