Phillies Inching Toward Potentially Severe $200 Million Blunder

The Philadelphia Phillies have not been incredibly active this offseason. Yes, they re-signed Kyle Schwarber and added ancillary pieces like Adolis Garcia and Brad Keller, but for the most part, their roster is nearly identical to last year.

In fact, with J.T. Realmuto still not re-signed and Ranger Suarez and Harrison Bader looking like goners, a legitimate argument can be made that the Phillies are worse off.

At least currently.

There is still time for Philadelphia to add more pieces, and a new name has surfaced as a potential candidate for the club: free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic has reported that the Phillies are slated to meet with Bichette, who is one of the top bats available on the open market.

But while signing a player who just posted a .311/.357/.483 slash line may sound nice, it will come with some pretty serious ramifications, and Gelb outlined them.

"Bichette is expected to meet with Phillies officials on a video conference call in the coming days, those sources said. The club’s interest in Bichette is legitimate, and if it results in a deal, it would likely require the team to move on from roster mainstays J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm," Gelb wrote.

Okay, so losing Bohm would be no big deal. The former first-round has been a trade candidate since last winter anyway, so he is nearing the end of his days in Philly regardless.

Realmuto, though, is another story, because unless Philadelphia has another trade lined up (Ryan Jeffers?), it doesn't have any other options to play catcher.

It doesn't end there, either.

Bichette is projected to land a contract worth in the neighborhood of $200 million. Perhaps his price has dropped over the last month, but you have to figure that he will secure at last $150 million. What will that mean for the Phillies' financial situation moving forward?

Philadelphia was already slapped with a $56 million luxury tax bill after 2025, and it has seemed very clear throughout the winter that the Phillies have been reluctant to spend money.

Is Bichette really the player on whom you want to blow your cash?

Sure, the 27-year-old has a terrific bat. He owns a lifetime .806 OPS and has made a pair of All-Star appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays due to his prowess at the plate. But he is also one of the worst defensive infielders in baseball.

If the Phillies land Bichette, he would likely either play second or third base. He certainly isn't supplanting Trea Turner at shortstop, which is why Bohm would have to be moved. Either Bichette would replace Bohm at third, or Bryson Stott would shift over to the hot corner and Bichette would then assume the position at second base.

Are third base and second base more manageable positions than shortstop? Absolutely. Can Bichette play either one of them effectively? Probably not.

There is no doubt that Philadelphia needs another bat alongside of Schwarber and Bryce Harper. But I'm not so sure that spending a couple hundred million on Bichette is the answer.

Alex Bregman would seem like a far better solution, but perhaps his price tag is a bit out of the Phillies' range at the moment.