Free entry agent Bo Bichette so far he has received interest from the Blue Jays and Red Sox. The Yankees, Cubs, and Dodgers have also entered his market. Now, Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that the Phillies are among Bichette’s biggest buyers.
The biggest move of the Philadelphia offseason was the re-signing of Kyle Schwarber on a five-year, $150MM contract. Besides, the team added Adolis Garcia in a foreign combination on a one-year contract. They also repaired the bull pen by selling it and leaving Matt Strahmto gain Kyle Backhusand signing Brad Keller again Zach Pop. Last month, it was reported that the club is looking for the right team stick and rotation depth, as well as meeting with. JT Realmuto. Conversely, the infield has not been mentioned as a target for an upgrade, so it’s possible the Phillies are simply doing their due diligence on Bichette.
The team has done it Trea Turner focused on shortstop. The 32-year-old continues to perform at the highest level. In 2025, he hit .304/.355/.457 in 141 games with a 125 wRC+ that was sixth best among qualified shortstops. He also lowered his strikeout rate to 16.7% and hit 15 home runs while stealing 36 bases. Sadly, after two below-average defensive seasons, Turner was worth 2 Defensive Runs Saved and 16 Outs Above Average in 2025, which ranked fourth among qualified shortstops. That’s a stark contrast to Bichette, who was worth -12 DRS and -13 OAA for the Blue Jays this year.
Turner’s presence leaves the Phillies without an obvious fit for Bichette at shortstop. With Schwarber taking over the DH slot, Bichette will need to play second or third base if he is to sign. What matters is the potential outcome, as Bichette has told interested parties that he is willing to play there. He played five games at second base during the World Series, with Andres Gimenez covering the shortstop. Before that, Bichette had only pitched 262 1/3 innings in the majors in his career, all in the minor leagues.
Statcast takes a negative view of Bichette’s arm strength (36 percent) and run speed (21 percent). A move to second base will allow him to make shorter throws and reduce his exposure to batted balls from right-handed hitters, which he has historically struggled with. At the time, he was the second baseman in charge for the Phillies Bryson Stott. His 2025 batting line of .257/.328/.391 was league average with wRC+. Defensively, he was seen as average (0 DRS) to positive (7 OAA). Overall, he was worth 3.1 fWAR this year, which ranked sixth among professional second basemen.
Signing Bichette to play second could force Stott to the hot corner, where he has played just 15 big league innings. That would still be a good matchup for both defenses. While Bichette struggled against right-handed hitters, Stott was eligible for a 4 OAA against both right-handed and left-handed hitters in 2025. Putting him at third to accommodate Bichette would not have been a good fit, given Stott’s below-average arm strength. Still, his better performance against righty balls, along with his added range and speed, could help him adapt to the hot corner better than Bichette.
Alignment of Stott at third, Turner at short, and Bichette at second will go Alec Bohm out of the ordinary position. Bohm hit .287/.331/.409 with a 105 wRC+ in 120 games this year as the Phillies’ third baseman. That’s not bad at all, but it was a drop from his 113 wRC+ in 2024. He also declined defensively, dropping from 4 OAA in 2024 to 2 OAA this year. Bohm is entering his final year of team control and is expected to receive a $10.3MM salary in the settlement, making him a trade candidate. Indeed, back in October, 69.72% of MLBTR readers believed the Phillies would trade him.
It remains to be seen if the Phillies have serious interest in Bichette or if they are just acting on their own initiative. That said, if they were to sign him and trade Bohm, they would be improving their offense and their interior defense. We at MLBTR ranked Bichette at No. 2 on our Top 50 Free Agents list, featuring an eight-year, $208MM deal. Adding that $26MM in annual salary while subtracting Bohm’s $10.3MM would bring the team’s 2026 salary to just under $281MM, according to RosterResource. That would leave about $10MM to reunite with Realmuto and other additions, assuming the team matches its 2025 salary cap of $291MM.
Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images
