Alex Bregman is off the market. What does that mean for the Phillies’ pursuit of Bo Bichette?

It’s a good time to be Bo Bichette.

Not only did the Phillies cannonball last week into the pool of teams interested in signing Bichette, but his market is about to kick into overdrive after fellow free-agent infielder Alex Bregman reached a five-year, $175 million agreement with the Cubs late Saturday night.

Bichette has a Zoom call with the Phillies scheduled for this week, a league source confirmed. Now, after Bregman bolted Boston for the North Side of Chicago, the Red Sox figure to pivot to Bichette, multiple major league sources expect. The Yankees may be in the mix, too, as their talks with free agent Cody Bellinger are at an “impasse,” ESPN.com reported over the weekend.

» READ MORE: Top 2026 Phillies storylines: J.T. Realmuto or Bo Bichette, Zack Wheeler’s return, and more

The Cubs doled out a club-record $35 million per year for Bregman, albeit with deferrals that reduce the present-day value, according to The Athletic. Bichette, who turns 28 in March, is four years younger than Bregman, which could put him in line for a seven- or eight-year contract at a similar, if not higher, annual salary and boost the overall value of the deal to $250 million or more.

Meanwhile, another musical chair in the infield market disappeared over the weekend, as the Diamondbacks pulled back Ketel Marte in trade talks. That leaves Bichette and 34-year-old free agent Eugenio Suárez as the best and most straightforward infield options.

Until the last few weeks, the Phillies didn’t expect to join the bidding for Bichette. Not after re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract and making an offer to bring back cornerstone catcher J.T. Realmuto, whose influence among the pitching staff and leadership from behind the plate outweigh his declining offense.

But as Realmuto holds out for a better offer, the Phillies have explored other avenues to potentially improve the roster, a league source said last week, and see a possible fit with Bichette, who is open to moving to second base or third base after playing shortstop for seven seasons with the Blue Jays.

» READ MORE: ‘Not elite’ Bryce Harper could use better lineup protection. Here are the Phillies’ options.

At the plate, Bichette is a .294 career hitter with a 121 OPS-plus and the unusual combination of a low strikeout rate (14.5% last season) and high rate of swings at pitches out of the strike zone (35.2%). His knack for putting balls in play, regardless of where they’re pitched, would add a dimension to the Phillies offense.

It’s also likely the Phillies got a strong endorsement from newly hired bench coach Don Mattingly, with whom Bichette grew close over the last two seasons in Toronto.

But the competition for Bichette is fierce, even more with Bregman off the board. Let’s look at the teams that could threaten the Phillies’ pursuit of Bichette:

When the Red Sox signed Bregman last spring, they irritated incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers so much that they traded him in June even though Bregman could opt out of his contract after one season.

Sure enough, third base at Fenway Park will be occupied by neither Bregman nor Devers in 2026.

Although the Sox have mostly resisted long-term deals with free agents since they fired Dave Dombrowski in 2019, they reportedly put a five-year offer on the table for Bregman before getting outbid by the Cubs. It’s fair to assume they would go at least that long for Bichette. But would they stretch to seven years? Eight?

» READ MORE: How can Don Mattingly help Bryce Harper? It starts with his star power.

The Sox entered the offseason looking for two middle-of-the-order hitters. Rather than chasing Schwarber or Pete Alonso in free agency, they traded for first baseman Willson Contreras. Their other big offseason move was also a trade, also with the Cardinals, for pitcher Sonny Gray. They could aim for the hat trick by trading for St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan to fill a vacancy at second base or third.

Donovan, 29, will make only $5.8 million this year and is under club control through 2027. Trading for him feels like a move for a free agent-averse team. But few free agents are as young as Bichette, which might enable the Red Sox to view him as less risky.

Like the Phillies with Realmuto, the Yankees prioritized re-signing Cody Bellinger and taking aim at another World Series.

A deal hasn’t materialized.

Bellinger, 30, is reportedly seeking a seven-year contract; the Yankees, according to reports, are hesitant to go longer than five. And the longer the staring contest between the sides persists, the more the Yankees figure to pursue other options.

Signing Bichette would require the Yankees to do almost as much lineup juggling as the Phillies. While the Phillies would have to trade third baseman Alec Bohm to make room in the payroll and the infield, the Yankees likely must do the same with second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Coincidentally, Bohm and Chisholm will both make $10.2 million this year and can be free agents after the season.)

But if the Yankees lose Bellinger, they will need to replace his middle-of-the-order production. Bichette is one solution, albeit from the right side of the plate instead of the left.

After spending $337 million in free agency on starter Dylan Cease, relievers Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce, and Japanese third baseman Kazumo Okamoto, the World Series runner-up is hoping to put a cherry on top of its offseason bonanza by signing outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Why not just bring back Bichette?

The Blue Jays haven’t ruled it out. Although the infield appears set with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, Ernie Clement at second, Andrés Giménez at shortstop, and Okamoto at third, the Jays believe Okamoto is capable of adding left field to his portfolio. In his introductory news conference in Toronto, Okamoto said he likes playing different positions.

But Tucker represents a better positional fit for the Blue Jays. If he signs elsewhere, it’s worth wondering if they would pivot to fellow lefty-hitting outfielder Bellinger or turn back to Bichette.

Never count out the Dodgers, especially if Bichette is willing to sign for a shorter term and higher annual salary with an opt-out after a year or two. The two-time defending World Series champs would presumably play him at second base and use Tommy Edman in center field and Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas in utility roles.

Bichette would also fit with the Mariners, who won a division title and advanced to Game 7 of the ALCS last year despite ranking 17th in wins above replacement at second base (1.5) and 13th at third base (1.9). They could choose to re-sign Suárez but already lost infielder Jorge Polanco in free agency to the Mets.