Letting Bo Bichette Go To The Mets Is Massive Failure For The Phillies
The Phillies needed to do something big this offseason. 4 years of ugly playoff exits proved that something needed to change. They could not run back the same core group….
The Phillies needed to do something big this offseason. 4 years of ugly playoff exits proved that something needed to change. They could not run back the same core group. Weeks of rumors led everyone to believe they would land Bo Bichette. Not only did they not sign the All-Star, but they let him go to the Mets.
It is a massive loss for the Phillies. This lineup is not constructed well enough. The past 3 playoff performances are proof of that. They needed another high-impact hitter to balance things out.
Bo Bichette felt like the perfect player to balance that. Not only is he a high-average player, but he also puts the ball in play and hits from the right side of the plate. The glove leaves a lot to be desired, but that is a tradeoff you would have taken to boost the lineup.
Phillies Need To Pivot
Now they are left scrambling. There are 3 hitters you can trust on a nightly basis on this team. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner are all All-Star caliber players. After that, there are a lot of question marks
They can't give Nick Castellanos away. This is the second straight off-season where they have struggled to find a market to trade Alec Bohm for anything. JT Realmuto, even if he returns, hardly has a market. Adolis Garcia has some upside, but also a very low floor. Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott are platoon players.
The lineup after 1-2-3 can get pretty bleak. Maybe Justin Crawfoird will help. But his ground ball rate is not promising, and if they thought he was a high-impact bat, they would have called him up last season when they badly needed help in the Outfield.
With Bichette in NY, and Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman off the table, the Phillies are pretty much out of options. Unless they swing really big and steal Cody Bellinger from under the Yankees' noses, they are pretty much going to have to run it back with Garcia in place of Castellanos, and Crawford instead of Harriosn bader.
That is not a lineup that will beat the Dodgers. I am not even sure if Bichette would be enough to change things, but it would at least be a big shakeup.
The Phillies are in danger of not just being non-contenders, but they are also in danger of fanbase apathy. You heard it last year. "Wake us up in October." If they don't change something up, this fanbase might check out. Phillies fans are not Eagles fans. We saw how empty Citizens Bank can get in that 10-year playoff drought. It won't get that bad, but this fanbase will not be happy about this news.
They needed to get this deal done, whatever it cost. Instead, they let the Mets swoop in, and it is going to cost them with the fanbase.
Fans won't buy money as an excuse. Not when they see what the Dodgers are doing. The Phillies need to do something just to avoid a fan revolt.
