Nearly a week has passed since Bo Bichette spurned a long-term deal from the Phillies to sign with the New York Mets, and the Philadelphia faithful still haven’t moved on. They might never move on.
Their NL East rivals are having an offseason to remember, while the Phillies run it back with the same underperforming core. The Mets have added Bichette, Freddie Peralta, Tobias Myers, and Luis Robert Jr., among others. But one Philadelphia broadcaster remains unconvinced that the team in Queens is committed to winning.
Ben Davis, who often fills in as the Phillies’ color voice for John Kruk, called the Mets “losers,” dismissing Bichette’s claim at his introductory press conference that New York’s commitment to winning attracted him.
“It’s a joke,” Davis said. “You’re just going to go where you get the best deal for you and get the most money. Whether you stunk or not, you’re still going to get the most money possible. And the fact that that’s a losing organization up there. It just is… There’s something about them that they give off the vibe that they’re losers.”
They’re the Mets, so naturally, by virtue, they’re losers — even though the Phillies own the worst winning percentage in MLB history.
“They give off the vibe that they’re just a losing organization,” Davis added. “And the fact that he says that ‘They’re committed to winning.’ There’s only a handful of teams that aren’t committed to winning. But the fact that he says that like the Phillies aren’t? C’mon man. Blow that smoke somewhere else.”
The Phillies offered Bichette a seven-year, $200 million contract, or $28.5 million annually. The Mets countered with three years and $126 million — $42 million per year with opt-outs after each of the first two seasons. Bichette chose the Mets’ deal.
The difference came down to structure. The Phillies don’t offer opt-outs. Bryce Harper doesn’t have one. Trea Turner doesn’t have one. Dombrowski said Tuesday he doesn’t believe in them and won’t change that philosophy. So Bichette took the Mets’ flexibility and higher annual salary over Philadelphia’s long-term security.
The Phillies responded by re-signing J.T. Realmuto and running back the same core that flamed out in the NLDS two straight years. But Davis insists the Mets are the team that still gives off loser vibes.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.