The Philadelphia Phillies were left at the altar on Thursday after news broke that their flirtation with Bo Bichette was not reciprocated by the free agent.

Left at the Altar: The Bo Bichette Miss

After many reports indicated that the Phillies and Bichette seemed to be a near-perfect match and imperfect situation came swooping in to steal the former Blue Jays star, their NL East rival, the New York Mets.

Bichette and the Mets came to an agreement on a three-year, $126 million deal that included multiple opt-outs, something the Phillies were unwilling to give in their seven-year, $200 million offer.

The result?  Bichette landed in Flushing, sending Philadelphia to turn its attention back to a familiar face, bringing back catcher JT Realmuto.

Realmuto quickly returned to the team, getting a three-year, $45 million deal to remain in Philadelphia.

The Return of JT Realmuto: Security or Stagnation?

The Realmuto deal has been met with some trepidation from Phillies fans, as giving a soon-to-be 35-year-old catcher a three-year deal with that much money keeps the team looking very similar to previous teams that came up short.

The Value Comparison: Realmuto vs. Victor Caratini

Were there other options?  Sure. One interesting name would have been new Twins catcher Victor Caratini.  Consider in 2025, Caratini has numbers pretty equal to Realmuto’s output in 2025 in almost 200 fewer plate appearances.

Caratini: 259/.325/.404 with 12 HR, 46 RBIs in 386 plate appearancesRealmuto: .257/.315/.384 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs in 550 plate appearances

Caratini, 32, signed a new two-year deal worth $14 million, while Realmuto was awarded a three-year deal worth $45 million with incentives that could run the total as high as $60 million.

One area that cannot be denied, Realmuto offers much more to the team as a backstop, leadership, and handling the pitching staff.

So, with the team missing out on Bichette and Realmuto returning, the Phillies’ lineup is going to look a lot like their 2025 lineup, with the only change looking like Justin Crawford replacing Harrison Bader and Adolis Garcia replacing Nick Castellanos.

Looking Ahead: Can Cody Bellinger Save the Lineup?

Is there anything else the team can do to shake things up? One big name remains on the free agent market, 30-year-old outfielder Cody Bellinger, the 2019 N.L. MVP.

Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, and 13 steals across 152 games. The left-handed hitter has actually been better against lefties than right-handers during his nine-year career.

Bringing in Bellinger would be a clunky but workable addition to the team.  He can play centerfield, which would move Crawford over to left field.  Would the team be willing to use Brandon Marsh and Garcia in a rightfield platoon as they did during the second-half of last year with Max Kepler and Castellanos in right?

Bellinger has hit fourth during most of his nine seasons, and could add much better protection for Bryce Harper, but that could give the Phillies three left-handed bats in a row in their lineup.  While Bellinger has excelled against lefties, it’s not an ideal situation.

The Phillies could look for a reunion with Bader, who had a solid year overall, slashing .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers in 501 plate appearances for the Twins and Phillies. In his 50 games with Philadelphia, he hit .305 with five homers and 16 RBI, but missed most of the playoffs with a hamstring injury.

Addressing the Rotation: Valdez, Gallen, or Bassitt?

The team could turn its attention to strengthening its starting rotation with lefty Framber Valdez replacing Ranger Suarez, who signed a big five-year, $130 million free agent deal with the Red Sox last week. Like Suarez, Valdez is a big game pitcher, but has been more durable than Suarez.

If they think Valdez has too big a price tag, they could look at Zach Gallen to add more depth, or someone like Chris Bassitt.

Whatever move they choose to make, they are running out of time to improve on a roster that has come up short in each of their playoff appearances since making a run to the World Series in 2022.  Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater on February 11 with full squad workouts on February 16.

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