At the offseason’s outset, the Philadelphia Phillies’ to-do list appeared relatively simple.
Reuniting with free agent Kyle Schwarber was far and away priority No. 1. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski accomplished that task briskly, with the parties agreeing to a five-year deal in early December. The club then checked off a few other must-dos, upgrading the bullpen with free agent Brad Keller and shuffling the outfield mix with the addition of former Ranger Adolis García.
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As the calendar flipped to 2026, only two big assignments remained: Cutting ties with out-of-favor slugger Nick Castellanos and his albatross of a contract, and re-signing veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto. But a contract standoff with Realmuto, who has been with the team since 2019, has unexpectedly pushed Phillies brass to consider a different path, one built around highly prized free-agent infielder Bo Bichette.
The two sides met virtually earlier this week, and the industry consensus at present is that the Phillies are now the favorites to land the longtime Blue Jay. It’s quite a pivot for a team that didn’t appear primed to land a big-ticket newcomer this winter, despite its cash-flashing track record.
The team’s interest in Bichette makes sense, even if there isn’t currently a positional opening for the 28-year-old. He’s considered one of the game’s premier contact hitters, a profile the big-swinging Phillies have been lacking in recent years, particularly in the playoffs. Bichette has a close relationship with new Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly, who was in Toronto the past three seasons. Compared to his counterparts around the league, Phillies owner John Middleton has been uniquely comfortable handing out long-term contracts like the one Bichette is surely seeking.
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Dombrowski has never been shy about acquiring game-changing pieces. Bichette, who shined in the World Series despite playing through a significant knee sprain, is exactly that. And while he’s a star on the field, Bichette is the type of character who would probably prefer to not assume face-of-the-franchise responsibilities. That would be just fine at Citizens Bank Park, where Schwarber and Bryce Harper soak up most of the attention. Most importantly, Bichette’s arrival would boost the 2026-28 Phillies’ chances of capturing that ever-elusive title.
But a Bichette signing, giving the Phils five infielders for four spots, would precipitate a fascinating fallout. Harper, a former outfielder, is entrenched at first base for the foreseeable future. A move back to the grass is unlikely; the future Hall of Famer has been good in the dirt and quite enjoys his new home. Trea Turner, under contract for eight more years, just posted a sublime defensive season at shortshop. That leaves second base and third base, two positions Bichette has never played in the regular season, as the only possibilities for him. Besides his injury-motivated stint in the World Series, Bichette has only ever appeared at shortstop, though the overwhelming expectation is that he’s open to moving off the position.
Since 2022, Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm have been staples at second and third, respectively, for the Phillies, though neither player has consistently produced like a franchise cornerstone. Importantly, Stott is under contract for two more seasons, while Bohm is a free agent after 2026. That makes Bohm the likelier of the two to get shipped out as a trade piece.
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An All-Star in 2024, Bohm had an uneven 2025, though he showed well after returning from an injury in mid-August. Anaheim, Pittsburgh and Boston are all reasonable trade landing spots for the 29-year-old, whose $10.02 million contract might limit the value of a return. In the event of a Bohm trade, whether the Phillies would opt to push Stott to the hot corner to have Bichette at second or try to teach Bichette how to play third remains to be seen.
Realmuto would be the other major party impacted by a Bichette deal. He and Harper are the team’s two longest-tenured position players. As such, a reunion with Realmuto felt like a foregone conclusion back in November. But the two sides have struggled to find middle ground on a deal. That in turn pushed the Phillies toward Bichette as another avenue to spend. Middleton might stretch the purse strings to retain Realmuto after inking Bichette, but that would depend on how much of a discount the three-time All-Star catcher would be willing to take.
If Realmuto goes elsewhere, Philadelphia would be left with the catching tandem of Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs, neither of whom has ever started more than 50 games in a big-league season. Precious few options remain on a barren backstop market: Victor Caratini, Reese McGuire, Jonah Heim, Gary Sánchez. How the Phillies’ rotation adapts to life without Realmuto would surely become one of the major storylines of their 2026 season.
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A few quick thoughts on Nick Castellanos
The 33-year-old was arguably the worst every-day player in MLB last season. Because while Castellanos’ .694 OPS was merely below average, his defensive metrics were downright abysmal. He also repeatedly butted heads with skipper Rob Thomson, leading to a one-game manager’s decision suspension. By the end of the year, Castellanos had become something of a social pariah within the Phillies clubhouse.
The upshot of all that: There is no chance Castellanos plays another game for the Phillies. Dombrowski has all but said as much. However, Castellanos has one more year at $20 million left on his contract. That’s a prohibitively high price for a player of his current caliber. Up to this point, no club has shown any interest in parting with assets to acquire the fallen two-time All-Star, meaning the Phillies are likely to eventually release him outright. They would, in turn, be eating that $20 million, but that’s the cost of doing business.
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A few quick thoughts on Ranger Suárez
At no point this winter did the Phillies display any interest in re-signing the 30-year-old southpaw. Considering how much success Suárez experienced in Philadelphia — a 3.45 ERA over 119 career starts, and his playoff exploits were even more notable — that qualifies as something of a surprise. But there were legitimate concerns about how Suárez, already a soft-tosser with a heater in the low-90s, would age. The Phillies already have long-term commitments to Cristopher Sánchez and Aaron Nola, not to mention Jesus Luzardo hitting free agency next winter. That left the club effectively out on Suárez, who is now on the Boston Red Sox.