The Phillies Might Watch the Winter Meetings for Something “Big”
The Philadelphia Phillies recently completed two extremely successful offseason windows in which they inked contracts with Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner. In addition, last winter saw the high-profile trade of relief pitcher Gregory Soto and the addition of Craig Kimbrel and Taijuan Walker to the pitching staff. The Phillies made their first major move in free agency this offseason when they re-signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal, essentially securing his future with the team.
It would be reasonable to assume the Phillies are done playing in the high-end free agency market this winter given their current core and the possibility of a Bryce Harper extension. However, owner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have shown over the past few winters that they are all in for another World Series. Consequently, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com believes that Philadelphia might be hoping for something “big” at the MLB Winter Meetings the following week.
“If Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is to be believed, then the Phils finished their heavy lifting this offseason the moment they signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract,” says Zolecki. Therefore, before Spring Training, they might add a reliever or two to take Craig Kimbrel’s place, a free agent. Perhaps they discover a bench bat. Alternatively, perhaps Dombrowski and company investigate whether a trade involving Corbin Burnes or the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a free agent, could cause a ripple effect in the National League.”
If it helps the Phillies improve and gives them another chance to win a World Series, then one should never count out Dombrowski and the team making a huge splash.
This could be the winter where the front office throws all of its chips in the middle of the table after two heartbreaking playoff exits in back-to-back seasons.
READ MORE
What the Philadelphia Phillies will do with their remaining offseason is a subject of much conjecture. They could theoretically stick with their roster that has made back-to-back NLCS appearances because they have already achieved their top priority of bringing Aaron Nola back to the team. But since taking over the Phillies, Dave Dombrowski hasn’t done things that way. Rumor has it that they are still looking for rotational outfielders, bullpen support, and additional starting pitchers.
One MLB insider believes Philadelphia could be in the running to pull off the blockbuster move. Philadelphia has also been linked to superstar Juan Soto in the trade market, possibly because of their history of making waves. They have some good news regarding the Soto sweepstakes if they are interested in doing that, as it appears that negotiations between the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees have broken down. This is after the Padres demanded an absurd amount that would have drained the Yankees’ farm system of all elite talent.
It will be difficult for San Diego to move him, and the Phillies won’t be interested, if that’s the kind of package they’re hoping to get back for a player who may only be a one-year rental before entering free agency at the end of the season. However, if the market remains stagnant, Philadelphia may be looking for this opportunity to enter the trade talks in order to acquire Soto. Though the paused talks with the Yankees might buy them some time, there is currently no indication that Dombrowski and his front office have contacted the Padres to find out what kind of package they are hoping to receive from the Phillies. Anticipate the Soto rumors to intensify amid
