All week, every national media pundit and baseball writer insisted the Phillies were “heavy favorites” to land free agent infielder Bo Bichette. All week, momentum had been building. Meanwhile, negotiations continued. While nothing is ever certain until the dotted line is signed, we were almost assured Bichette was already trying on red and white pinstriped outfits eagerly waiting to sign with Philadelphia.

Then, everyone received a quick kick to the stomach.

After losing out on free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers, the Mets pivoted and signed Bichette to a surprise, three-year, $126 million contract with an average annual value of $42 million a season. The deal includes opt outs at the end of every year, essentially giving Bichette the option of spending three years in New York with a $42 million AAV, or testing the market again, all by the time he turns 30.

The Phillies, it appears, made a legitimate, longer-term offer that the Bichette camp said it wanted.

Unfortunately, either because Dave Dombrowski and/or John Middleton dragged their feet, or because Bichette and his agent were using the Phillies and slow-playing the market until Tucker signed, New York swooped in at the last second and stole Bichette out from under the Phillies’ noses.

Listen, I respect their game. Well played, New York. The Mets snagged the best infielder and a prime Phillies target, all within a span of less than 24 hours.

Dave Dombrowski needed to land the plane, and he didn’t. The results are emotionally devastating even if, on paper, the Phils likely possess the superior roster.

Almost immediately after the Bichette-to-NY news, the Phillies themselves pivoted and signed catcher J.T. Realmuto to a new contract that seemed like a depressing bit of news in the wake of the Bichette disappointment.

Realmuto and his agent had to be quietly smiling to themselves somewhere, gloating, “Oh, I guess you guys need me now, don’t you?”

After showing they were willing to pony up $30 million a year over a seven year period for Bichette, is there anyone else the Phillies might give that money to?

The options aren’t great. Harrison Bader could return, especially if it’s just along the lines of a three-year, $45 million contract or something, but that seems unlikely. Eugenio Suarez is a free agent third baseman with a lot of pop (48 HRs, .228 AVG in ‘25) who strikes out a lot and doesn’t play good defense, and outfielder Cody Bellinger, whose left-handed bat doesn’t feel like a great fit in this lineup, has the Yankees and Blue Jays still willing to give him a seven-year deal for entirely too much money.

Not knowing exactly what happened during the Bichette negotiations, it’s difficult to make assumptions. But we can read the tea leaves. As each day passed without a deal and talking heads on TV telling us it almost certainly would, it sure feels in retrospect like Bichette’s agent was using the Phillies to get what he wanted elsewhere.

What does that say about the front office and, in particular, Dave Dombrowski? It speaks more to the Phillies’ antiquated way of looking at free agent contracts than any cheapness on the part of ownership. The Phils were willing to soar past the final luxury tax thresshold and pay a significant tax (and extra $32 million in average annual value on the first year of the Bichette deal alone) in order to land him. But the Phils’ policy of not offering opt-outs in their deals was reportedly their undoing.

Bryce Harper and Trea Turner both signed 10+ year contracts, so you can understand why the Phillies believed a seven-year deal for Bichette would entice him. But like Tucker, Bichette wanted the freedom and flexibility to enter the free agent market again over the next couple of seasons, all while making $42 million a season. Younger free agents value elasticity rather than security. Dombrowski and the front office need to open themselves up to that reality.

So, here we are. Unable to swing any creative trades or haul in Bichette in free agency, Dombrowski is going to run the same roster back again in 2026. The fanbase, understandably, is not excited. In fact, it’s fair to say Phillies fans are crushed by missing out on this player in a way I don’t remember them being for any other free agent over the last 10-15 years.

Dombrowski needed the land the plane. This time, he couldn’t get the wheels to touch ground.