{"id":421908,"date":"2026-01-20T18:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T18:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/421908\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T18:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T18:12:09","slug":"philadelphia-phillies-general-manager-dave-dombrowski-says-missing-out-on-bo-bichette-was-a-gut-punch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/421908\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski says missing out on Bo Bichette ‘was a gut punch’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> thought they had their man until they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

General manager Dave Dombrowski said on Tuesday the team was disappointed to miss out on free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette<\/a>, who signed a three-year deal with their NL rivals, the New York Mets<\/a>, on Friday.<\/p>\n

Dave Dombrowski on the Bo Bichette talks: “I did think we were going to get a deal done…We were close….It was a gut punch. …But until you have a signed memo of understanding, you don’t have a deal.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI did think we were going to get a deal done…We were close,\u201d Dombrowski said on Tuesday as the team confirmed the return of catcher JT Realmuto. \u201cIt was a gut punch…but until you have a signed memo of understanding, you don\u2019t have a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Phillies and the 26-year-old Bichette were believed to have agreed to the framework of a seven-year, $200 million deal by Thursday night. But after the Mets missed out on outfielder Kyle Tucker<\/a>, who signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>, the team aggressively pivoted towards Bichette and landed him on a $126 million pact on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The return of Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million deal felt like cold comfort to Phillies fans, who also saw the departure of lefty Ranger Suarez<\/a> to the Boston Red Sox<\/a> on a five-year, $130 million deal.<\/p>\n

Bichette had spent the entirety of his seven-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>. In 748 career games, the two-time All-Star is a .294 hitter with 904 hits, 111 home runs, 437 runs batted in and an OPS of .806.<\/p>\n