Salisbury: On a wild day, Phillies lose Bo Bichette to the Mets, then close gap to re-sign J.T. Realmuto

‘The Phillies aren’t getting Bo Bichette, but they will still see plenty of him in coming seasons.

Bichette, recently the apple of the Phillies’ eye, is headed to the Big Apple. In what can only be called a surprising turn of events, the hard-hitting infielder on Friday agreed to a huge, three-year $126 million contract with the New York Mets.

The Mets, one of the Phillies’ biggest rivals in the National League East, will pay Bichette $42 million per season, about $15 million more than the Phillies will pay Bryce Harper in 2026. Bichette’s deal reportedly includes opt-outs that could make him a free agent again next winter.

Over the past week, the Phillies had turned their attention to Bichette as negotiations with free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto hit an impasse. With Bichette off the board, Realmuto gained negotiating leverage and quickly hammered out an agreement with the Phillies later on Friday. 

Entering the offseason, the Phillies had prioritized re-signing both Kyle Schwarber and Realmuto. Schwarber signed a five-year, $150 million deal in December. Realmuto will sign a three-year deal worth $45 million.

The Phillies had looked like the favorites to sign Bichette – and the fan base reacted with excitement — as the Chicago Cubs (Alex Bregman), Boston Red Sox (Ranger Suarez) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Kyle Tucker) all spent significant free-agent dollars in recent days. On Thursday night, Tucker agreed to a gigantic four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers, selecting that team over the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. That seemed to clear the way to Philadelphia for Bichette. In fact, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Phillies offered Bichette a seven-year, $200 million deal ($28.5 million per season) on Thursday night.

It isn’t often that the Phillies don’t get their man, but this time they did not. Earlier Thursday, Tucker said no to the Mets’ reported offer of $50 million-plus per season and signed with the Dodgers. That left the Mets searching for a bat and holding a bag of money, which they lavished on Bichette in what looks like a desperation signing. Bichette will play third base for the Mets. 

Had they been successful in signing Bichette, the Phillies would likely have moved on from Realmuto and attempted to trade third baseman Alec Bohm. Now, unless something presents itself, Bohm remains and Realmuto returns to the club for an eighth season. Phillies pitchers will be happy about that as they often credit him for having a role in their success.