The Philadelphia Phillies have been big spenders in the past, but they've, for the most part, not shown an interest in going beyond the next luxury tax threshold if they can help it.
That's been leading to some disappointment from Phillies fans, but a new update will re-ignite fans' hope for the 2026 season and beyond.
According to a report from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are set to meet with Bo Bichette this offseason to discuss a possible free agent contract in a massive update on the Phillies free agency plans.
Phillies set to meet with Bo Bichette
"As the Phillies reach a possible inflection point in their offseason," Gelb writes, "they have scheduled a meeting with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette and have done extensive work on various roster ripple effects of signing him, multiple league sources told The Athletic."
This is a massive update for the Phillies this winter. Not only are they just rumored to be "interested" in Bichette, but they are actively planning to meet him.
There was buzz about the Bichette-Phillies link in recent days, but this report from Gelb is a huge step towards a potential contract coming to fruition.
Philadelphia isn't meeting with Bichette for no reason, as they have a serious interest in the former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop.
For the Phillies, Bichette would likely become a second baseman or third baseman, with the future of Alex Bohm and J.T. Realmuto in Philadelphia very unlikely.
More: Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto prediction shows how bad things would be if Philadelphia doesn’t re-sign him
Bryson Stott might have to move to third base, where he played briefly early in his MLB career. But that would be more than worth it to sign Bichette.
The 27-year-old infielder had a.311 batting average in 2025 for the Blue Jays, and in the postseason during the World Series, he hit an impressive.348 with an OPS of.923.
Signing Bichette would add a much-needed right-handed hitter to the lineup who has a combination of power and contact. He's a better player than Bohm and would be a huge upgrade for the Phillies' lineup.
There were rumors that the Phillies had interest in him, especially with the hiring of Don Mattingly to be the bench coach. But now, this is a much bigger sign that the Phillies are interested in signing Bichette this winter.
More Phillies news:
- Phillies' former No. 1 prospect stays in Japan rather than return to MLB
- Phillies' free agent rumor is bad news for top remaining free agents
- Phillies' top outfield prospect is 'practically a lock' for Opening Day MLB debut
- Phillies to sign former Reds, Orioles catcher to free agent deal
- Phillies sign former Cardinals, Blue Jays 6'2'' lefty reliever