Latest Bo Bichette rumor could open up the door for Guardians to nab former All-Star 

For parts of seven seasons, Bo Bichette was the heartbeat of the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup. While injuries impacted his availability at certain points during that time, he recorded four seasons with 175+ hits and earned two All-Star nods and had three seasons where he earned MVP votes. 

But now he’s a free agent with an interesting market thanks to his strong 2025 season ending on a bit of a sour note due to a ligament injury that kept him out for all of September and most of October. 

And although he still hasn’t signed anywhere for the 2026 season, it seems like his market is beginning to heat up. On Thursday, The Athletic’s Matt Gleb reported earlier this week that the Philadelphia Phillies have scheduled a meeting with Bichette before the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported the meeting is set for Monday.  

While that’s a good sign for the Guardians since it means that Bichette could move to the National League, it also is a positive update since it means that Alec Bohm could become expendable in Philadelphia. 

That thinking was relayed by Gleb, who wrote in his aforementioned story that the Phillies “interest in Bichette is legitimate, and if it results in a deal, it would likely require the team to move on from roster mainstays J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm.”

The Guardians could have a chance to steal Alec Bohm from the Phillies 

This isn’t the first time Bohn has been in this position, as his name’s been floated in trade rumors each of the past two seasons thanks to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi attempting to turn over every rock to make his team better.

And while he’s held off on trading Bohm at all of those junctures, he may not have a choice if the Phillies choose to sign Bichette to a contract. 

While Bohm finished last year with a .287 batting average, he drove in 38 less runs than 2024 and also had a 40 point dip in his slugging percentage. 

The good news for the Guardians (or whichever team Bohm plays for in 2026) is that his hard-hit and barrel rates pretty much stayed the same between 2024 and ‘25, he was just hitting the ball on the ground more. Not great, obviously, but that’s an easier fix than if everything fell off a cliff. 

The biggest complication between Bohm and potential Guardians trade is his positional fit and his contract (surprise surprise). Bohm and the Phillies agreed on a $10.2 million contract on Thursday to avoid arbitration, which would make him the second-highest paid Guardian behind José Ramírez.

While there’s always the chance the Phillies would be willing to eat some of that money, that’s still a steep price to pay by Cleveland's standards. 

Bohm has also played almost exclusively at third base as of late, which would be a no go considering that’s Ramírez’s position. Even if he shifted over to first base (where he’s played 13 times last season), he still would be in the way of Kyle Manzardo. 

But it’s still worth it for the Guardians to kick the tires on Bohm given he’d provide the Guardians with some much-needed power from the right side and wouldn’t cost too much in regard to a potential prospect return. 

The Guardians have backed themselves into a corner when it comes to their lineup, and Bohm is as close as they’ll get to an easy fix.