Phillies didn’t have done deal, but thought they were ‘very close’ to signing Bo Bichette: ‘It’s a gut punch’

Dave Dombrowski spoke about Bo Bichette and J.T. Realmuto on Tuesday. (Logan Gehman/Phillies Nation)

A deal is never done until there’s a signature on the dotted line. Just ask Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Tuesday morning, Dombrowski admitted that, in the team’s estimation, the Phillies were “very close” to an agreement with two-time All-Star infielder Bo Bichette last week and thought they’d end up signing him to a long-term free-agent contract.