May 22, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) looks towards the field during a game against the San Diego Padres at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Not that it's any consolation to fans, but the Phillies reportedly did make an aggressive offer to Bo Bichette before he instead chose to sign with the New York Mets.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Phillies "had agreed to Bo Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in."
The Mets — reeling after Kyle Tucker picked the Los Angeles Dodgers over them Thursday evening — offered Bichette a three-year/$126 million contract that reportedly contains opt outs after both 2026 and 2027 and includes a full no-trade clause. Bichette, who MLB Network's Jon Morosi says will shift to third base in Queens, chose that offer.
Certainly, there's risk for Bichette in taking the offer from the Mets, because the Phillies deal guaranteed him $74 million more. But Bichette can probably afford to bet on himself since he's still 27 years old, and whenever he is a free agent next — which could be as soon as next offseason — he won't have a qualifying offer attached to him.
As for the Phillies, general manager Preston Mattingly revealed earlier this offseason that the organization doesn't include player opt outs in contracts. (For what it's worth, the Phillies actually did include a player opt out after season two in the three-year/$75 million deal they gave Jake Arrieta in March of 2018, though they had the ability to void that opt out by guaranteeing additional seasons.) While they've been able to sign majors free agents like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner without including opt outs, that policy obviously didn't help them in this case.
There's an argument to be made that the Phillies will be better in the long run for not having offered Bichette what the Mets did. Because Bichette declined a qualifying offer, the Phillies would have had to surrender their second and fifth-round picks in the 2026 MLB Draft, along with $1 million in international bonus pool money, to sign him. Obviously, you do that in a heartbeat to have the opportunity to sign a 27-year-old impact bat for the long haul. But it's a ton to give up for just one guaranteed season with the player. Just ask the Boston Red Sox, who did exactly that for Alex Bregman last winter and are now empty-handed since he opted out and left to join the Chicago Cubs in free agency this time around.
Even with all that pragmatism acknowledged, it felt like the Phillies were close to adding a player who hit .311 with an .840 OPS last season to a lineup desperately in need of another big bat. It's unclear how they'll be able to pivot now that Bichette has gone elsewhere.
