The Philadelphia Phillies appeared to put themselves in prime position to get Bo Bichette.
But all of free agency is connected, and the Kyle Tucker signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers news that came on Thursday night has changed the urgency.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette's former employer, were after Tucker but didn't get him.
That frees up money for Bichette.
"Tucker’s agreement with the Dodgers could also cause the Blue Jays to circle back with their longtime shortstop, Bo Bichette, who remains unsigned as well," MLB.com wrote on Thursday night. "Toronto’s chances of re-signing Bichette appeared to be fading as the club ramped up its pursuit of Tucker after landing third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. But now that Tucker is no longer an option, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the aggressive Blue Jays pivot to Bichette."
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That means the Phillies have to go to work.
If Philadelphia is serious about Bichette -- and the fact that they recently met with him suggests they are -- there's no time to waste.
The two big hitters left in free agency, Bichette and Cody Bellinger, just got that much more valuable to any team pursuing them. Tucker and Bellinger were playing off each other a bit. So too were Bichette and Alex Bregman.
But Tucker is a Dodger, and Bregman is a Cub, and the other two can only satisfy a couple more teams.
If the Phillies want to start the ball rolling on getting Bichette and then potentially moving their infield around, it has to happen soon, before the Blue Jays get their man back.
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