The Philadelphia Phillies’ pursuit of Bo Bichette in free agency could pay off, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.<\/p>\n
“It feels like Philly, it seems like there’s some momentum there to get it done and work it out,” Heyman reported during a Wednesday appearance on MLB Network.<\/p>\n
Heyman also reported that the Phillies have been in a “stare down” with free agent J.T. Realmuto after offering him a three-year deal.<\/p>\n
According to MLB.com’s\u00a0Todd Zolecki<\/a>, Philadelphia can’t agree to terms with both Bichette and Realmuto and would need to clear payroll in order to sign the former.<\/p>\n The Phillies already have the fourth-highest projected payroll among all MLB teams for the 2026 season (via\u00a0FanGraphs<\/a>).<\/p>\n Philadelphia met with Bichette on Monday, while\u00a0Matt Gelb<\/a>\u00a0of The Athletic reported that “rival clubs are beginning to view the Phillies as Bichette’s most serious suitor.”<\/p>\n The two-time All-Star is coming off an encouraging 2025 campaign, amassing 18 home runs and 44 doubles to go along with 94 RBI in 139 games. Bichette also put together a .311\/.357\/.483 slash line.<\/p>\n He excelled during Toronto’s World Series run, posting a .923 OPS in seven postseason games.<\/p>\n