The Philadelphia Phillies will have to give up a lot to land Bo Bichette.
The Philadelphia Phillies watched as Alex Bregman flew off the free agency board on Saturday, further narrowing their possibilities on the open market.
But based on recent reports, the Phillies seemed more interested in Bo Bichette anyway, and Bichette is still available.
The problem is the cost.
Bichette is said to be seeking a $300 million contract, and given that Bregman just received $35 million annually over five years from the Chicago Cubs, it might not be out of the realm of possibility.
Not only that, but because Bichette declined the Toronto Blue Jays' qualifying offer, the Blue Jays stand to receive draft-pick compensation if he departs.
Philadelphia was slapped with a $56 million luxury tax bill after 2025, and because the Phillies paid the tax, they would have to surrender second and sixth-round draft picks in the 2026 MLB Draft — plus $1 million in international bonus pool money — if they sign Bichette.
That is a very steep price to pay for one of the worst defensive players in baseball, but with Philadelphia being desperate for a bat, they might just do it.
Bo Bichette. Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images.It's important to remember that Bichette is four years younger than Bregman, the latter of whom turns 32 years old in March.
Taking that into consideration, what originally seemed like a ridiculous asking price from Bichette ($300 million) might actually be somewhat realistic.
It still seems rather unlikely that Bichette will land that much money, but something like $250-275 million over eight years is not completely farcical at this point. That would place Bichette roughly in the $31-34 million range in terms of average annual value.
We know Bichette has a good bat. He slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI over 628 plate appearances in 2025, and he owns a lifetime .806 OPS since entering the majors in 2019.
However, the former second-round pick has been so bad at shortstop throughout his career that he is expected to change positions upon signing elsewhere. For the Phillies, that would mean either second or third base, with Bryson Stott potentially shifting to the hot corner or Bichette just outright replacing Alec Bohm.
We'll see what happens in the coming days/weeks, but the Cubs' decision to sign Bregman could open the floodgates in free agency.