December 16, 2024
Troy Taormina/Imagn Images
The Phillies don't have many areas they can upgrade — but third base could be a spot for improvement.
The Phillies are still a World Series contender, despite their idleness so far this offseason.
They are slated to return almost all of their 95-win team from last season — a team that couldn't keep it together against the Mets early in the playoffs.
Via FanDuel, the Phillies still have the fifth best World Series odds. The teams in front of them have made themselves better on paper heading to spring training, while the Phillies have not.
• The Dodgers (+380), looking to repeat, signed Cy Young winner Blake Snell, as well as Michale Conforto and re-signed Blake Treinen.
• The Yankees (+700) traded for closer Devin Williams and are aggressively linked to nearly every option to replace Juan Soto.
• The Braves (+800) already have two of the best players in the world set to return in Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. — two injured stars who missed a lot of 2024.
• The Mets (+1100) signed Juan Soto to the richest deal in sports history.
Other wannabe contenders like the Padres, Orioles, Giants and Cubs have been active this fall. Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies have only added a relief pitcher — with high upside — while sitting and waiting everywhere else.
There is a lot of time left between now and when pitchers and catchers report in February. Here are five huge moves the Phillies could still realistically make to keep up with the improving contender class:
Probably the best remaining move to be made — at least among those currently on the board — is for the Phillies to add the 23-year-old pitcher from Japan who could be a rotation staple and Cy Young arm for over a decade in the majors. Here's what we wrote last week, when the Phils were surprisingly linked to the pitcher:
The Phillies would be getting a bargain if they are able to ink a deal with the hurler, as he'd be capped by international signing pool restrictions which would probably net him around $7 million.
In 69 games pitched in Japan over his career, most of them for the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki has a 2.02 ERA and has 524 strikeouts to just 91 walks in 414.2 innings pitched. Those are some absolutely insane numbers. [PhillyVoice]
After making a surprising move to trade for Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker a few days ago, many in baseball think oft-rumored former MVP Cody Bellinger is even more tradable now in Chicago. And the Phillies should try and get in the mix.
The Cubs don't really have a third baseman, which could make them a candidate for an Alec Bohm trade. Bellinger has one year remaining, technically, on his contract (he'll earn $27.4 million in 2025) but can exercise a $25 million player option for 2026 if he desires. He's 29, and hit .266 last season with 18 homers. He is a power hitter — he averages 32 homers over 162 games — and doesn't strike out a ton – 89 times in 130 games last season. He's not a perfect fit, but he's the kind of reliable bat with a track record that would improve the Phillies' left field situation.
While Bellinger wouldn't be blocked by anyone in the current Phillies lineup, Bregman would be. The third baseman remains a free agent and might find himself not part of the Astros plans to change things up for next season. If the Phillies can find a taker for Bohm, a player who they are not claiming isn't available but still makes sense to move, the best lineup upgrade available remains Bregman.
A winner of his first career Gold Glove in 2024 at age 30, Bregman has made two All-Star Games, has a Silver Slugger to his name and has played in an impressive 99 playoff games. If the Phils can nail him down to some sort big money deal in the three-year range, they can keep the door open for prospect Aidan Miller to eventually assume the role long term.
If the Phillies are willing to add based on best available, instead of based on positional need, there are two sluggers who could really help take the Phillies offense to the next level if they join a team that plays its home games in Citizens Bank Park.
Stealing first baseman Alonso from the Mets would help on the PR side of things, and it would also be an addition of one of the most prolific home run hitters in the game. He has an incredible 226 homers over six years in the majors, he led every MLB player in homers in 2019 and RBI in 2022 and is a four-time All-Star. But his swing and miss rates and strikeout rates are not ideal.
Walker is another bomber and a local one — he's from Norristown — who has 95 homers and 281 RBI over the last three years in Arizona. He is a Gold Glove first baseman.
As you can guess, the Phillies would need to open up a spot at first base, or at the DH spot by moving Harper to the outfield or Kyle Schwarber to the outfield.
The simplest free agent upgrade would be to sign the best outfielder available, and either platoon Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas in center or trade one of them.
The two best outfielders and ones that would really make an impact are Hernandez and Santander — but they're both aggressive at the plate.
Hernandez is a World Series-winner coming off a career-best season with 33 homers, 99 RBI and a .272/.339/.501 slash. He averages close to 200 strikeouts per season. Santander won a Silver Slugger last season with the Orioles and despite hitting just .235, he had 44 homers and 102 RBI. Both are better options offensively than what the Phillies have, but neither really helps to redefine the Phillies' approach at the plate — a free swinging mentality that has cost them three straight Octobers.
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