Phillies to meet with Bo Bichette as team explores roster shakeup

Story byBob Nightengale, USA TODAYThu, January 8, 2026 at 11:48 PM UTC·2 min readThe Philadelphia Phillies, frustrated in their negotiations to bring back free-agent catcher J. T. Realmuto, are looking into the possibility of shaking up their roster and finding a creative way to add free-agent infielder Bo Bichette, a high-ranking Phillies executive told USA TODAY Sports. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing talks, but confirmed a report by The Athletic that the Phillies scheduled a virtual meeting with Bichette on Monday, Jan. 12 to discuss the possibility of joining the Phillies. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTwo Phillies executives cautioned that signing Bichette remains a long-shot, insisting it would be complicated and involve significant roster changes, but that it’s certainly possible. The Phillies would have to cut off negotiations with Realmuto, trade third baseman Alec Bohm and his $10.2 million salary, find a team who would take right fielder Nick Castellanos and pay at least a small portion of his $20 million salary, and perhaps move others as well. The Phillies’ interest in potentially signing Bichette came about after the holidays when Bichette expressed a desire in playing for them, particularly after the hiring last week of Don Mattingly as their bench coach.