The city of Chicago had a good night Saturday night. The Bears came from behind to beat the Packers and the Cubs signed Alex Bregman. In Philadelphia, the hope is that Monday is better than Sunday as the Phillies meet with free agent Bo Bichette.
Bregman signing with the Cubs (reported as five years, $175 million) is an offseason pivot point. The “why it matters for Bichette” logic is pretty clean: one premium infield option is off the board, and another rumored trade target type, like Ketel Marte, is described as “less available,” which pushes more teams toward the remaining top infielder in the conversation. CBS Sports framed Bichette as “front and center” after Bregman’s deal, and specifically noted there’s already “a lot of smoke” connecting Boston and Bichette.
Boston was in the Bregman lane and now that lane has ended, so it’s natural for them to explore a different impact infielder. The Phillies are operating in the same gravity field, which is why this can move fast. One big signing doesn’t just remove a name, it changes who feels urgency and who can credibly pivot.
How the Cubs can still be an infield factor
Bregman landing with the Cubs also creates an interesting side door for Philadelphia: Chicago suddenly has more infield pieces than clean everyday spots. CBS Sports directly raised the possibility that either Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw are now viable trade bait, even if the Cubs don’t have to make a move.
It’s not completely unlike where the Phillies would be if they were to sign Bichette; five infielders for four positions. The Hoerner and Shaw situation in the Windy City would become the Stott and Bohm situation in the City of Brotherly Love.
If you’re thinking like the Phillies, Hoerner is the “floor and fit” play. He’s a steady, two-way infielder type who can help you win regular season games, shorten innings for your pitching staff, and give you a dependable at-bat without needing to be the headliner. With Turner in place, Hoerner would read as a second-base solution or a flexible piece that lets you be more aggressive with other moves.
Shaw is the “ceiling and control” play. Shaw holds a high value coming off of a big rookie season, and he can play multiple infield spots (third, second, and short.) For the Phillies, that versatility is attractive because it can be both a solution for now and an answer to future turnover. The catch is cost: a younger player with upside usually requires real prospect capital, and the Phillies would have to decide whether that’s smarter than simply paying for a star like Bichette.
The Red Sox are actively in the market for infield help this offseason and Bo Bichette is definitely one of the names they are considering. Multiple outlets reported that Boston is now shifting all attention to Bichette as its “primary target” among the remaining elite free agents. That shift appears to be directly tied to the space Bregman’s departure has created in Boston’s plans for its infield where Bregman was a fixture last season. The Red Sox covet right-handed hitting alongside shortstop Trevor Story, much like the Phillies covet adding a right-handed bat to their lineup.
At the same time, there’s reason to question how possible a Bichette deal actually is for Boston. Reports indicate Bichette’s asking price is extremely high — some outlets have mentioned numbers in the neighborhood of $300 million — which raises question marks for both Boston and Philadelphia. It affects Boston especially because it’s outside what the Red Sox are comfortable offering, especially after they’ve shown reluctance to give out mega long-term contracts in free agency recently. The Phillies at least have a plan – trade Bohm to drop his salary – and have a bunch of money coming off the payroll following this season. If the Red Sox do find that the price tag has that tier of numbers on it, Boston’s pursuit of Bichette would fall from serious to “what else is for sale.”
When you weigh those points together, Boston’s odds of signing Bichette and the seriousness of their pursuit becomes mixed. Boston is clearly interested enough in Bo Bichette to engage and explore how he would fit into their roster now that Bregman is off the board. Their pursuit feels serious in that they have now elevated him among their top targets. But odds-wise, his expected contract demands and Boston’s historical caution on massive free agent payouts suggest that they ultimately won’t be the team that gets Bichette. It’s very much still a competitive free agent market with multiple suitors, and Boston is one of several clubs with the potential to make a compelling offer — but not necessarily the front-runner if the financial gap is too wide.
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