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Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski disappointed over failed Bo Bichette pursuit: ‘It was a gut punch’
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Thomas Hall
Jan 20, 2026, 16:30 ESTUpdated: Jan 20, 2026, 16:35 EST
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Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski shared his disappointment on Tuesday over missing out on free agent shortstop Bo Bichette, whom the team believed they were close to signing before he ultimately opted for the New York Mets’ three-year offer worth $126 million.
Dombrowski addressed local media members via Zoom following the announcement of catcher J.T. Realmuto’s three-year, $45-million extension, admitting, “I did think we were going to get a deal done” with Bichette, as relayed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“I can’t say that we ever thought it was done,” Dombrowski added. “We thought we were very close to having a deal done. We thought it was going to happen, but it wasn’t done. … Until you sign a memo of understanding, you don’t have a deal done — and we did not sign one of those. It wasn’t that we weren’t moving toward that direction. It isn’t that we didn’t think we were going to get there. But we just did not get to that point.”
The Phillies’ POB also said that “it was a gut punch” after learning about Bichette’s decision to sign with the Mets, one of their longtime NL East rivals. Philadelphia’s front office reportedly offered the 27-year-old infielder a long-term deal ranging between $190-$200 million over seven years.
Instead, Bichette opted for a short-term contract in Queens, which includes opt-outs after the first and second seasons that would allow him to return to free agency while still in his prime. Since the upcoming classes of free-agent hitters are considered significantly weaker, he’d likely have a much higher chance of capturing a more lucrative long-term commitment.
Once Bichette came off the board, the Phillies’ brass acted quickly to retain Realmuto, reigniting contract talks that had previously reached an impasse with the franchise investing all efforts into landing the former.
Philadelphia may have swung and missed at one of the top available free-agent bats from this year’s crop. However, they’ve successfully brought back their two most notable free agents this off-season, first Kyle Schwarber and now Realmuto, running it back with the same aging core that led the organization to its 13th NL East Division title last season.

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