The Philadelphia Phillies will be one of the most compelling teams to watch heading into the MLB offseason. They have a whole lot of pressing decisions to make, and their roster could look awfully different next spring as a result.

That being said, the Phillies have long had one of the highest payrolls in baseball, so they will almost certainly be making some significant moves this winter. Philadelphia fans are just hoping they make the right ones.

That brings us to Jim Bowden of The Athletic linking the Phillies to Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette in free agency, which seems very odd given that Philadelphia already has NL batting champion Trea Turner. But Bowden explains his reasoning.

"His prime years have just begun and he’s one of the youngest free agents on the market, though he has dealt with several lower body injuries the past couple of years," Bowden wrote. "As long as teams have a clear sense of the health of his knee, Bichette will have plenty of suitors in free agency because he could be considered a fit as a shortstop, a third baseman or a second baseman."

Bichette can hit. We all know this. However, he is a terrible defender. He posted a minus-12 DRS and a minus-13 OAA this season. He has also never played any position other than shortstop throughout his career, so why would the Phillies even consider adding him?

Perhaps Bichette would be better suited for second base, which is not as demanding of a defensive position as shortstop. The same goes for third base, which is the "easiest" of the three positions in terms of range, but also requires pretty quick-twitch reflexes.

It seems hard to imagine Bichette being any good defensively at any of those infield spots, so why would the Phillies hand him a contract approaching $200 million when they already have a shortstop?

Philadelphia needs an outfielder, and it probably needs a catcher with J.T. Realmuto potentially a goner. It could probably afford to add another starting pitcher, too, and keep in mind that Ranger Suarez is headed toward free agency.

It would be silly for the Phillies to allocate such a substantial amount of money to Bichette, who not only has a bottom-tier glove, but also has a bit of an injury history. And even if his .598 OPS over 81 games in 2024 was a bit of an outlier, he is still just two seasons removed from it.

Philadelphia would be making a significant mistake if it pursued Bichette in free agency, especially when it has so many other issues it needs to address.