The Ben Maller Show: Bo Bichette, Phillies Trade Targets, and the Vegas Mirage

Ben Maller opens the hour with a pointed question about the New York Mets' expensive offseason gamble: why would Bo Bichette, who has $84 million and two years left on his contract, opt out after a season that has gone poorly? The answer, Maller argues, is that the contract was designed for exactly this outcome. Bichette's deal included a massive $40 million signing bonus up front, making the remaining money less meaningful than it appears. "Everything else is theater," Maller says. "It's Kabuki Theater."

The Mets gave Bichette a three-year, $126 million contract with the expectation that the New York market would elevate his play. Instead, Maller says, "he has gotten pants playing in New York. He's been exposed." Bichette is hitting around .230 with eight home runs and shaky defense. But Maller predicts Bichette will still find a suitor willing to pay more than the $84 million he'd leave behind, because "there's always a sucker out there" who will overlook one bad year and focus on exit velocity metrics. The only complication is the looming labor dispute—Maller expects baseball to enter "an Arctic winter" with no new agreement and missed games in 2027, which could reshape the free agent landscape.

The Phillies' Outfield Shopping