With the Philadelphia Phillies in the sweepstakes for Bo Bichette, some in the baseball world believe there is an advantage with the team in acquiring the shortstop since there is a major connection. As the Phillies poached Don Mattingly from the Toronto Blue Jays, from which Bichette played for a while, it could fuel the team as a potential front-runner.
On MLB Network, Harold Reynolds would talk about how the link from Bichette to Philadelphia is “real” due to Mattingly and how the two had a “great relationship” with the Blue Jays.
“The Mattingly link is real,” Reynold said. “I spent the weekend with Donny in Ohio, and he's got such a great relationship with Bo, like he hit with him basically every day. You know, he knows this kid, and I'm sure he's in there advocating for him.”
“The [Don] Mattingly link is real… he's got such a great relationship with Bo. He hit with him basically every day.”
– Harold Reynolds on reports that Bo Bichette's meeting with the Phillies went “very well” https://t.co/w0DorCPz7P pic.twitter.com/vL6JFZpukv
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 13, 2026
Bichette would meet with Philadelphia, where the “meeting is said to have gone very well,” with the 27-year-old considering the ball club to be a “first-class organization,” according to Jon Heymna.
“Bichette/Phillies meeting is said to have gone very well fwiw. Bichette admires ‘first class' organization,” Heyman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Other pluses: roster, park, Mattinglys link, spring proximity to home…Other Bo [Bichette] suitors: [Blue] Jays, [Boston] Red Sox, [New York Yankees], [Los Angeles Dodgers], more.”
The Don Mattingly connection between the Phillies and Bo Bichette is key
While rumors around the Phillies and Bichette will continue until a deal is revealed, there is no denying the relationship with Mattingly is one that could make a difference. Heyman wrote about how Mattingly is now a bench coach for Philadelphia and the “excellent relationship” he has with Bichette.
“Mattingly has terrific longstanding relationship with Phillies manager Rob Thomson,” Heyman wrote on X on Jan. 5, “He is also said to have an excellent relationship with star free agent Bo Bichette (although it is fair to say that coaches/managers don’t usually determine 9-figure free agent signings),” Heyman wrote.
It remains to be seen if Bichette lands with the Phillies, as there are a bunch of other teams interested.
