WIP host declares Phillies ‘outclassed’ by Mets in Bo Bichette negotiations

All the best free agents are flying off the market real quick after Kyle Tucker’s bombshell decision to sign a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Those who missed out on Tucker, such as the New York Mets, had to pivot quickly, and they did — with the Mets signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract, beating other suitors such as the Philadelphia Phillies to the talented shortstop’s signature.

Bichette’s decision to sign with an NL East rival in the Mets has sparked a wave of reactions from the Phillies side of things — with SportsRadio 94WIP host Spike Eskin claiming that the Phillies were never really in the mix for Bichette and that they have operated with an outdated style of thinking, missing out on other big free agents in the process.

“The Phillies got played. The whole Bo Bichette situation was fishy from the start. … The entire thing was orchestrated by his agent to get the best deal possible. And the best deal did not come from the Phillies. And here’s the biggest problem,” Eskin said. “These guys want short-term deals with bigger AAVs and opt-outs. … The Phillies are still making pretend this is eight, nine years ago where they can just promise all the years in the world.”

“They just got outclassed.”

Spike says the Phillies were outclassed by the Mets in the Bo Bichette sweepstakes.

“It sucks because the Phillies got played. The whole Bo Bichette situation was fishy from the start.” pic.twitter.com/F6fGwnBoli

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 16, 2026

Phillies run back their 2025 squad

The Phillies at least did take care of a few of their free agents, bringing Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto back even though there are major aging concerns surrounding those two. They did lose Ranger Suarez to the Boston Red Sox, but Philly has so much pitching depth that they should have enough to cover for that loss.

The world is not ending for the Phillies just because they missed out on Bichette. They still have a quality, if aging, squad that should make noise in the National League. And it’s not like they don’t have any options left in free agency, with players such as Framber Valdez and Cody Bellinger still searching for their homes for 2026.

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