Red Sox-Bo Bichette Update Drops After Phillies Meeting

Get your hopes up at your own peril, Boston Red Sox fans.

Since Alex Bregman chose the Chicago Cubs over a return to Boston (and justifiably so, since his old team reportedly wouldn't give him a no-trade clause), there's been a lot of smoke about the Red Sox potentially pivoting to longtime Toronto Blue Jays star infielder Bo Bichette.

Nothing the Red Sox have done for the last six years indicates that they're going to suddenly win a bidding war for a 27-year-old with some red flags in his profile seeking a long-term contract. But on the day after Bichette met with the Philadelphia Phillies, we can at least humor the Red Sox by tracking the latest updates about his free agency.

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Red Sox's reported expectations for Bichette pursuit

According to a Tuesday report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Red Sox are now "expected to aggressively pursue" Bichette. It's the first update of any real substance we've had on Boston since some of the dust has settled on Bregman, but Nightengale also emphasized that there were other power players in the hunt.

"(Bichette) and the Phillies, meanwhile, had their first meeting Monday in a Zoom call with both sides expressing strong interest in the other. The two sides came away from the meeting believing that there was genuine interest in one another," Nightengale wrote.

"The Red Sox, who believed their five-year, $165 million offer would lure Bregman back to Boston, now are expected to aggressively pursue Bichette. The Blue Jays remain in the hunt, and the (Los Angeles) Dodgers continue to hang around."

The best-case scenario for the Red Sox would likely be the Blue Jays getting Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger instead of a Bichette reunion, the Dodgers balking at a long-term contract, and the Phillies second-guessing themselves on Bichette's price tag and/or coming back to the table with catcher J.T. Realmuto.

And even if all that happened, the Red Sox still might shoot themselves in the foot by not giving Bichette a no-trade clause.

If you couldn't tell, faith is low around these parts that Boston will make the Bichette signing come to fruition. But as long as it's on the table, and in the event that the vibes start to change in a meaningful way, we'll keep checking in.

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