Bo Bichette has, more or less, been an outright disaster for the New York Mets this year. MLB's worst team by record, the NL East cellar-dwellers have gotten a career-low 61 wRC+ out of their marquee free-agent signing, a performance so bad that their fans are now publicly pining for the team to trade Bichette this year, even if it requires the Mets to eat a large chunk of his annual $42 million salary.
Of course, Philadelphia Phillies fans will remember a time not to long ago where it seemed like Bichette would be their problem to solve; on the verge of signing a $200 million deal with the reigning division champions, Bichette pivoted at the 11th hour to ink a player-option-heavy deal with the Mets.
It's safe to say the Phillies lucked out on that one. And, in even better news, a perfectly suitable replacement option may be eminently available on the trade market as the San Francisco Giants fail to climb out of their own tailspin.
USA Today’s @BNightengale says the San Francisco Giants would love to offload the following contracts and start over:
— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) May 10, 2026
🔺OF Jung Hoo Lee ($85 million remaining)
🔺SS Willy Adames ($161 million remaining)
🔺1B Rafael Devers ($226.5 million remaining)
🔺 3B Matt Chapman ($125… pic.twitter.com/DKBMVGZIgF
Willy Adames is encountering similar struggles to that of Bichette this year, but he's got three 30-homer campaigns and Gold Glove-caliber metrics on his résumé. As a potential double-play partner for Trea Turner, or a possible long-term replacement for Alec Bohm at third base, might he become the apple of Dave Dombrowski's eye this trade season?
Willy Adames is a dream Phillies trade target, but his contract situation might become a nightmare
The good with Adames is obvious. He's one of few middle infielders who can claim legitimate power, speed, and defensive upside, with a wRC+ that has exceeded 95 in every single season of his career prior to 2026. At just 30 years old, he should be good for a while longer.
The problem, of course, is that he's already falling off a cliff this year, with just three home runs, one steal, and some of his worst defensive metrics in a long time. Add it all up, and he's been good for a pitiful 66 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR.
On paper, he'd be a perfect fit next to Turner at second base, which would finally allow Bryson Stott to play the super-utility role he's been destined for. Adames' long-term presence would also allow the team to pass on extending Bohm at third base, which would be a nice reprieve as he struggles through a career-worst year at the plate.
But with more than $150 millions still owed to him over the next five-and-a-half seasons, Adames figures to become yet another 30-something albatross in the future (if he's not already there). That's the last thing the Phillies need more of right now.
The Giants are due for a reset now that their Tony Vitello experiment is failing in real time. That means Adames will become available at some point in the near future. Whether or not he ends up on the Phillies will be a test of Dombrowski's willingness to go all-in on an aging, expensive core.
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