There Just May be a Chance Bo Bichette Signs With the Phillies

"Running it back."  That's been a common expression muttered by Phillies fans the last two offseasons.  The Phillies re-signed slugger Kyle Schwarber, a back-end reliever in Brad Keller and added a right fielder in Adolis Garcia.  Aside from the departure of Matt Strahm in a trade, the Phillies are mostly the same team that they have been.

But that seems to be changing.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that the Phillies were planning to meet with free agent infielder Bo Bichette.  Jon Heyman of MLB Network later added that there is "mutual interest" and a meeting is scheduled for Monday.

So where did this interest come from?

A lot of it may have to do with catcher J.T. Realmuto.  The Phillies and the veteran backstop are reportedly at a negotiation standstill.  Realmuto just completed a five-year deal that paid him $23.5 million a year.

At 35 years old, he is beyond the traditional shelf life of a catcher.  The Phillies may not want to give Realmuto the dollars or years that he is seeking.  That may have left time for them to think of the possibilities.

One scenario, which could be heard on 97.3 ESPN, is to shift those resources to another player that will help the Phillies roster.  Not at catcher, of course, since they are in short supply.

The Phillies have a full infield at the moment.  But they could open up a spot, and money, by trading $10.2 million third baseman Alec Bohm.

Then, the thinking goes, the Phillies could acquire a catcher in trade - such as Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins as Gelb joted in The Athletic. Or, the Phillies could give Rafael Marchan, a solid backstop, an opportunity to start.

While it almost seemed that leaked interest reports could have been public messaging aimed at Realmuto's camp, the interest is indeed legitimate, adds Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

The addition of Don Mattingly as bench coach may help entice Bichette, who worked with him in Toronto the last three seasons.

Bichette is just 27 years old, making him a more attractive option compared to the likes of Alex Bregman, who is turning 32 in March.

The top Phillies offensive prospect is Aidan Miller, who will be in need of a spot in the infield soon.  But the Phillies can figure that out later.

For now, the Phillies need to figure out 2026.  They just may not be done.