Dear Phillies,
These are strange times. Despite a payroll of around $300m entering the new year and a consistent willingness to spend, I fear that the team is selling itself short in terms of title contention. You know it and I know it, we need one more bat. That bat is Bo Bichette’s. Now I am not just yelling into the void hoping you open your wallet, I have ideas. Please, if you will indulge me…
You want to resign JT Realmuto, that’s understandable. He is the best catcher on the free agent market, and because there are not a lot alternatives, he will cost around $15m per season. He will also tap us out payroll wise. $315m is about what you paid last year, and you want to stay at that mark this year. I will respect those financial wishes.
Why do we need Bichette specifically? Because you made huge investments in Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and the pitching staff. Do you want them to go to waste? Right now, our cleanup hitter is Alec Bohm and his low .400s slug isn’t cleaning up anything! Is anyone going to want to pitch to the other guys knowing Alec Bohm is coming up? Bichette had a down 2024, but bounced back huge in 2025 and has otherwise been a consistently good hitter usually hovering around a .300 AVG with an .800+ OPS. He’s also a doubles machine in the way we always hoped Bohm would be. Bichette’s average year is exponentially better than Bohm’s best. Bichette is also a year younger. With his right-handed bat joining the top 4, you could have him hit 4th behind a trio of Turner, Harper, and Schwarber or slot him anywhere in the middle considering all four hit well against both righties and southpaws.
How much is Bichette going to cost? If someone was offering 10/$300m, he probably would have accepted it already. The rumor is that the Phillies are keeping tabs along with the other big boys like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs while the Red Sox and Blue Jays are still in the mix. Most of these teams probably want higher value, shorter terms deals, while the Blue Jays might just be out with Okomoto signed. So maybe he would take either an 8/$240m deal or something shorter like 4/$150m? Let’s find you some money!
Right off the top, Alec Bohm needs to go. The $300m figure includes his $10m in arbitration. Maybe you are looking for real value from him in a trade, but there’s truly no need. You are not going to resign him, you are not going to offer him a QO, and you are not going to trade him mid-season if he stays. Just either get a low level prospect for him or simply let him go. You are not on the hook for his $10m. Saying you don’t need Bichette because no one will offer you proper value for Bohm is just being stubborn.
If there is someone out there who will give you anything for Castellanos, take it. I’m talking giving them something like $15m-$18m for the privilege of the Nicksperience. If every penny counts, $2m to $5m is a big deal. Let’s say $3m is all we can save. We are up to $13m already. Another possibility is trading Taijuan Walker. We’d probably have to eat like $8m of that contract or take on some bad money, but trading pitching depth would be worth it to land a difference making bat. Now, I know you aren’t going to like this next one, but if you don’t want to move Walker, it may have to be done. Edmundo Sosa is projected to make $7.5m. He is a great dude, but a short-side platoon who can’t hit righties at all. That’s a lot. He is non-guaranteed too, but you would probably be able to trade him for something, possibly a younger prospect version of himself.
Now we don’t have to make all these moves. In fact, there is a shortcut to saving around $15m. Yes, I mean letting JT walk. Considering he will be 35 next season and probably wants to play for a contender, who out there can offer him that along with that kind of money? He doesn’t have many options. His bat has been in steady decline for years and it is simply not going to magically get better. Even Bohm hit for more power than him last year. There is a chance that no matter what you give him it will be an overpay even if he used to be the BCIB. Marchan might be a better defensive AND offensive catcher than him as soon as next year. If we give him 2/$30m and do not get Bichette, we are probably going to regret it, let alone 3/$45m! By not paying him at all, we can keep Walker and Sosa and sign Bichette without losing much.
Finally, the books next year are VERY clean. Walker, Bohm, and Castellanos are gone. Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and Aiden Miller will all be here making the league minimum. Even spending a little bit more this year might mean we are under the final tax threshold next year (if there is a next year). We can do this!
So please, I am not asking you to overspend. I am asking you to get that final piece, you know we need. Go get Bo Bichette. And go get your trophy back!
Sincerely,
Philly Front Office
Philly Front Office 
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