The Philadelphia Phillies are emerging as Bo Bichette’s most serious suitor while the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to move on, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
Gelb reports Bichette and the Phillies met Monday on a video conference and both sides emerged from the meeting with optimism.
Gelb notes the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees as other teams who could make a compelling case to Bichette but points out the Phillies might be willing to go to as high as eight years to get him signed. It is not clear if Philadelphia made an official offer during their call.
Team president Dave Dombrowski has experience landing star players, and, according to Gelb, is effective at convincing ownership to reconsider budgets and expectations when unforeseen circumstances arise, possibly including Bichette remaining on the market into mid-January.
The Red Sox are a logical fit for Bichette after losing third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. According to Gelb, they could pivot to making an aggressive pitch to Bichette, but they also do not have a significant track record of signing free agents to lengthy deals.
Meanwhile, the Phillies have several players who were signed to lengthy free agent deals on their current roster, including Bryce Harper (13 years), Trea Turner (11 years), Aaron Nola (seven years) and Kyle Schwarber (five years).
The Dodgers are believed to be lurking in the free agent markets of Bichette and outfielder Kyle Tucker according to Gelb, who notes they could offer shorter-term, higher-salary deals. However, uncertainty surrounding a potential lockout come the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement next December could make players wary of taking shorter deals.
The 27-year-old Bichette is coming off one of his best offensive seasons in 2205, slashing .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 139 games. He would have likely led the American League in hits for the third time in his career had he not sustained a knee injury on Sept. 6 that ultimately ended his season.
Bichette returned for the World Series and picked up eight hits in 27 plate appearances against the Dodgers, including a three-run home run that gave the Jays a 3-0 lead in Game 7 that would ultimately not be enough to deliver Toronto their first title in 32 years.
He has spent all seven of his MLB seasons with the Blue Jays and is a .294 hitter in 748 career regular season games.
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