MLB rumors: Phillies set meeting with Bo Bichette; Yankees' offer to Cody Bellinger revealed, plus his ask

Here are your hot stove rumors for Thursday, Jan. 8

The 2025-26 Major League Baseball offseason is ongoing, and with the new year having come and gone we're working our way deeper into the sport's offseason calendar. With plenty of big-name free agents and trade candidates still on the board even at this increasingly late hour, there's a daily supply of rumors and reporting regarding them. Speaking of which, you can find Thursday's roundup just below. 

Phillies interested in Bichette

The Phillies may be looking to upgrade their infield situation, and on that front free agent Bo Bichette is of interest to the club, to the point that they've scheduled a meeting, the Athletic reports. 

Any signing of Bichette by Philly would likely entail moving on from catcher JT Realmuto, who's also a free agent, and trading third baseman Alec Bohm, according to that same report. The arbitration-eligible Bohm and the Phillies on Thursday settled on a $10.2 million salary for 2026. With Trea Turner and Bryston Stott entrenched at at shortstop and second base, respectively, for the Phillies, Bichette would presumably take over at third base in place of Bohm. 

Earlier in the offseason, CBS Sports ranked Bichette as the No. 3 free agent in the current class. Here's part of RJ Anderson's write-up: 

"Bichette's optimal position is second base, but his bat may convince a team to tolerate his substandard play at short for a few more years yet. He rebounded from a down season by clearing a .290 average (for the fourth time in five tries) and 60 extra-base hits (for the third time). Bichette's flat swing allows him to wear out elevated pitches, with his .337 average on offerings located in the upper half ranking fifth among qualifiers. As an added bonus, he's on the younger side for a free agent (he'll turn 28 in March)."

This past season, Bichette for the AL champion Blue Jays had an OPS+ of 129 and WAR of 3.5 in 139 games for the Blue Jays.

With little movement on Bellinger, Yankees consider Bichette

The Yankees' priority this offseason is re-upping with outfielder Cody Bellinger, who last season put up a 5.1 WAR -- his highest such figure since his MVP season of 2019. However, the Yankees and Bellinger still have a wide gap in talks and the club is now looking "more seriously" at the aforementioned Bichette, the New York Post reports. 

On Bellinger, The Athletic reports that the Yankees have offered a multi-year deal worth more than $30 million per season, but Bellinger and his agency "continue to push for seven years." The Yankees have said basically all offseason that they want Bellinger back, but perhaps the ask from his camp is a bit aggressive for the Yankees' tastes. If that's the case, it's possible they'd pivot to Bichette.

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, has been a member of the AL East-rival Blue Jays for his entire professional career to date. He's a shortstop who may also be willing to man second or third, but the Yankees may at least theoretically be open to an upgrade over Anthony Volpe at short. Bichette endured uncharacteristic struggles in 2024, thanks in part to nagging injuries, but in 2025 he rebounded to put up vintage numbers and then some. As such, he's one of the most coveted free agents available this winter. 

Yankees still exploring trade for rotation help

The Yankees in an effort to add another starting pitcher to their mix for 2026 may have missed out on Edward Cabrera, who wound up being dealt to the Cubs, but now New York has moved on to other targets. Specifically, the Yankees have had at least cursory trade discussions with the Nationals regarding MacKenzie Gore and with the Brewers regarding Freddy Peralta, MLB.com reports. Gore would be more of an upside play for the Yankees, while Peralta is an established frontline presence who boasts three straight seasons of at least 200 strikeouts. Both hurlers are believed to be at least theoretically available this offseason. 

When healthy, the Yankees' rotation is a strong one, but Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt are all expected to open the 2026 season in the injured list as they recover from various elbow surgeries. 

Three possible frontrunners for Tucker

Kyle Tucker is our top-ranked free agent of the offseason and it's possible his thus far quiet market is starting to make a bit of noise. Specifically, the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Mets have emerged as three leading options for Tucker, the Athletic reports. As Will Sammon writes: 

"The Mets' preference is to offer a shorter contract length (probably less than four years) with a high annual average value. League sources expect the Blue Jays to go longer. Assuming they'll act aggressively and given their history of swooping in and making deals with stars, the Dodgers loom as a contender."

Speaking of a short-term, high-AAV deal for Tucker, our Mike Asixa recently explored what that might look like. The Blue Jays have been among the most aggressive of teams this offseason coming off their pennant-winning campaign in 2025, and the Dodgers of course remain the standard in terms of ownership's commitment to building a championship roster. As for the Mets, owner Steve Cohen has vast resources and they're in need of a headline-grabbing addition after the free-agent losses of Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz. 

As for Tucker, he's going into his age-29 season in 2026 and he boasts a career OPS+ of 139 and a WAR of 27.3 across parts of eight MLB seasons. His combination of power, plate discipline, defense, and base-running make him a star. 

Rockies ink Lorenzen

The Rockies and right-hander Michael Lorenzen have agreed to a one-year, $8 million free agent contract with a $9 million club option for 2027, ESPN reports.

Lorenzen, 34, is coming off a 2025 season for the Royals in which he pitched to a 4.64 ERA and a 4.59 FIP in 26 starts and one relief appearance. For his career, the one-time All-Star has an ERA+ of 103 and a WAR of 10.6 in 11 major league seasons.