Phillies still hold hope for J.T. Realmuto despite Bo Bichette progress

Matt Sullivan

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Phillies still hold hope for J.T. Realmuto despite Bo Bichette progress image

The Philadelphia Phillies have been in some very exciting rumors this offseason, being strongly linked to Bo Bichette, the Toronto Blue Jays' free agent.

While there's nothing close, they've been trending in the right direction, and thanks to Ranger Suarez signing with the Boston Red Sox, the Phillies are now likely the clear favorites for Bichette.

But, despite their strong interest in Bichette, the Phillies are, according to Paul Casella of MLB.com, hoping to find a way to bring back J.T. Realmuto for the 2026 season.

Phillies still holding out hope for Realmuto deal

"The reality is that," Casella writes, "of Philadelphia's free-agent trio - the Phillies' priorities were re-signing Kyle Schwarber (which they did with a five-year, $150 million deal last month) and Realmuto (which they're still hoping to do)."

The Phillies want to re-sign Realmuto this winter, which isn't much of a surprise, but considering the progress they've made with Bichette, it's noteworthy.

If bringing Realmuto means they'd fall out of Bichette's market, the Phillies fan base would not be happy. Showing such strong interest in Bichette, with a ton of hope he's coming to Philly, only to turn around and re-sign Realmuto would be a disappointment.

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Ideally, the Phillies find a way to sign Bichette and also bring Realmuto back for another year or two. But, that's not very likely, as the Phillies would need to clear a lot of money, and get Realmuto to take a lesser deal than the one's they've already offered him.

But the Phillies are holding out hope for such a scenario, as Casella's report indicates. It would be an incredible outcome for the Phillies this winter, as Bichette and Realmuto on this roster would make for one of the best of this era of Phillies baseball.

It's not likely, but the Phillies could make it work if they wanted to. Don't count out such a scenario yet, even if it's incredibly unlikely. The Phillies have some hope, and so should Phillies fans.

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