As the Phillies reach a possible inflection point in their offseason, they have scheduled a meeting with free-agent infielder Bo Bichette and done extensive work on the various roster ripple effects of signing him, multiple league sources told The Athletic.

Bichette is expected to meet with Phillies officials on a video conference call in the coming days, those sources said. The club’s interest in Bichette is legitimate, and if it results in a deal, it would likely require the team to move on from roster mainstays J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm.

The Phillies are entering what looks to be a competitive market; Bichette has numerous big-market teams interested. Both the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox want to add an infielder — whether it’s Bichette or Alex Bregman. The Los Angeles Dodgers loom as a possible destination for Bichette, viewing him as an option at second base if he is amenable to a lower-term, higher-salary contract structure. The New York Yankees, if they fail to re-sign Cody Bellinger, could emerge as a suitor.

All of those clubs might be more motivated to strike a deal with Bichette than the Phillies, who would have to rearrange their roster to accommodate such an addition. In November and December, team officials believed they would not be involved in Bichette’s market. While they liked the player, they expected him to command a deal beyond their reach, especially since the Phillies had internal free agents to retain.

But as a standoff with Realmuto has lingered, the Phillies began debating different paths. Bichette’s market has not collapsed; the combination of money allocated for Realmuto being unspent and Bichette’s willingness to move off shortstop has opened the door. The Phillies have one of the five highest payrolls in MLB, and while they had a straightforward plan entering this offseason, they were going to keep tabs on the bigger-name free agents.

The Phillies and catcher J.T. Realmuto have been unable to agree on a deal to bring him back. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

The New York Post reported last week that the Phillies were interested in Bichette.

Any Bichette deal with the Phillies will be heavily taxed; the Phillies are up against a threshold that triggers a 110 percent luxury tax on every dollar above it. The Phillies would have to clear 2026 money, but know that some payroll relief comes in 2027 with $38 million invested in Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker off the books. Tax penalties could reset with a new collective bargaining agreement. (The current CBA expires in December.)