The Philadelphia Phillies Backed Themselves Into a Corner
Entering Friday morning, the Philadelphia Phillies fanbase felt extremely optimistic about their chances of landing star Infielder Bo Bichette. As the day came to a close, Dave Dombrowski managed to flip the switch completely, removing any excitement for the team entering 2026.
Kyle Tucker was the biggest free agent this offseason, and once he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, everyone knew the dominoes were going to start falling. After Tucker was off the board, all eyes turned to Bichette, and the Philadelphia Phillies remained the heavy favorites. As we now know, he signed with the division rival Mets. What changed in such a short amount of time?
Steve Cohen Went All In
Steve Cohen is what pulled Bichette and the Philadelphia Phillies apart. Cohen tweeted, awaiting Tucker’s decision, and captioned it: “Let me know when you see smoke.” When the Mets didn’t sign Tucker, Cohen looked like an absolute fool. As we all know, Cohen refuses to be beaten, so he took all the money he was offering to Tucker and pivoted to the most significant remaining free agent: Bichette.
After losing Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Mets desperately needed an above-average right-handed hitter to put at the top of their lineup. Bichette fit what they were looking for, and gave him an incredible deal. With a potential lockout looming next year, players are signing shorter-term deals with higher annual values with opt-outs after almost every year so they can immediately re-enter the market when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is finalized.
Bichette signed a 3-year, $126 million contract with the Mets that includes multiple opt-outs. He agreed to a short-term deal with opt-outs and is betting on himself to deliver. The goal for him is to have a big year, opt out, and secure a better long-term contract than what was offered this offseason.
The Phillies Had Bichette
According to Bob Nightengale, the Phillies had agreed to Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out on Tucker. Things changed extremely quickly, but the move that followed was absolutely egregious. Instead of waiting to see what else was on the market, Dombrowski panicked and caved to JT Realmuto’s demands.
After offering Realmuto a three-year deal for more than $10 million per year and getting declined multiple times, Dombrowski threw in the towel when he missed out on Bichette. Realmuto’s offensive production has steadily declined over the last three seasons, and the Phillies thought it’d be smart to give him a three‑year contract worth $45 million guaranteed, with incentives that could push the total to $60 million.
He continuously disrespected the Phillies throughout the offseason. Instead of pivoting elsewhere and trying to make a significant change to a team that has desperately needed it, he ran back to the old player who will be a shell of himself in three years. After many encouraging signs, the Philadelphia Phillies will once again be running back the same team that’s gotten embarrassed in the postseason for three straight years.
The Phillies Are Checked Out
After an action-packed Friday, the Phillies will now go back to being quiet for the rest of the offseason. There are no big-name free agents left on the board, and the Phillies don’t have any significant assets they can use in a trade to bring in a high-impact player. With the Dodgers slamming their foot on the gas and the Phillies waiting for the light to turn green, Philadelphia’s championship window is officially shut.
They do not have what it takes to beat the Dodgers or many other National League teams in a playoff series, and their star players, who go quiet when the lights are brightest, are going to decline, putting the team in an even worse spot.
