Phils look toward trade market following Winter Meetings
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiDALLAS -- The Phillies have not been swimming in the deep end of the free-agent pool this offseason.
Maybe that will change at some point.
“The fact that they’re not in the pool doesn’t mean that they don’t have their swimming trunks on,” agent Scott Boras said Wednesday.
The Phils made their first significant move of the offseason on Monday, signing right-hander Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. Afterward, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Philadelphia is comfortable with the bullpen and emphasized that the club had one of the best offenses in Major Leagues in 2024, despite its postseason shortcomings.
Still, the Phillies have work to do, and they know it. But Dombrowski said Wednesday that they don’t want to force anything.
The trade market might be the Phillies’ best path to alter their roster significantly.
But how much are they willing to pay?
In July, the Phillies pushed hard for left-hander Garrett Crochet, but the White Sox wanted more. Chicago traded Crochet to the Red Sox on Wednesday for four prospects: Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez. According to MLB Pipeline, Teel is the No. 25 prospect in baseball, while Montgomery is No. 54.
“You always weigh those things,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve been there before, done it before. Not sure it was the right time for us to do that right now. I think there’s a few reasons behind it. We have four quality starting pitchers. And we have a young pitcher coming right behind them [Painter] that we like a whole lot. So to give up that type of talent ... We’ve had [Alec] Bohm, [Bryson] Stott, [Brandon] Marsh, [Cristopher] Sánchez, [Johan] Rojas, but we really rode out the development of our farm system over the last few years. And we’re just getting to the point of having the impact of those guys. It’s not quite here, but we’re on the verge of having some really good young players.”
Dombrowski said he’s trying to extend the Phillies’ championship window as long as possible. He believes that will happen by keeping some of those prospects.
But that doesn’t mean the Phillies won’t trade one or more of them at some point. They might for the right player.
The Phillies have been linked to Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, but he will be a free agent next year. He won’t come cheap. According to a source, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado would waive his no-trade clause to come to Philly, but he makes no sense unless Bohm is traded.
“I wish we would have maybe done a little more,” Dombrowski said regarding the Winter Meetings. “We just didn’t feel comfortable. But it’s not done either. The Meetings are done, but the conversations aren’t over. You have to be careful. We had a couple conversations that were going yesterday that were quite heavy. They didn’t happen. Then all of a sudden, it’s, 'What about this? What about that?' I said, 'Hold on, let’s take a step back. We don’t have to force anything.'"
BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
Outfielders: The Phillies need somebody to play left or center field, with Marsh and possibly Rojas expected to play the other position. There aren’t many quality options in center. Left field is the most likely place for a new arrival.
Corner outfielders Teoscar Hernández and Anthony Santander are available, but they won't come cheap. The Phillies are approaching the fourth luxury tax threshold at $301 million. They would pay a 110 percent tax for every dollar spent over $301 million. Dombrowski said this week, “It’s not going to stop us from making moves at this point.” Still, it's a significant consideration with every move.
Bullpen: Dombrowski said the Phillies are comfortable with their bullpen. But it doesn’t mean they couldn’t use another late-inning reliever.
Rotation: The Phillies are long shots to sign Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki. They could use a No. 5 starter to pitch before Painter is ready or at least provide competition to internal candidates like Taijuan Walker, Seth Johnson (No. 15 prospect), Tyler Phillips, Mick Abel (No. 6 prospect), Moisés Chace (No. 26 prospect) and others.
HARPER EXTENSION?
Bryce Harper's agent, Boras, mentioned Harper's desire for a contract extension a year ago. Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract in February 2019. It remains the ninth-largest contract in baseball history, although the average annual value ($25.4 million) is 51st, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
Asked about Harper’s continued desire for an extension, Boras said, “There is no question that those dynamics are being discussed. [Manager partner] John [Middleton] and Dave have taken the time to talk with me about it. So we're in a place where there's very good communication, understanding what's going on.”
Is it something that needs to happen?
“Well, I think, you know, this is certainly something that we discussed internally,” Boras said.
RULE 5 DRAFT
The Twins selected right-hander Eiberson Castellano in the first round of the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He was the Phillies’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
The Phils selected Mets right-hander Mike Vasil, but he will likely be traded to another team for cash considerations.
In the Minor League phase, the Phillies selected the following players: outfielder Eduardo Lopez (Red Sox) in the first round; right-hander Enmanuel Mejia (Rays) in the second round; righty Agusto Calderon (Cardinals) in the third round; outfielder Elio Prado (Orioles) in the fourth round; righty Gabriel Barbosa (Yankees) in the fifth round; and infielder Isaias Dipre (Pirates) in the sixth round.
PHILLIES' BOTTOM LINE
“You’d trade anybody at a particular time, but it’s not a driving force for us at this time," Dombrowski said. "We’d give up anybody for the right player, but at this point, I don’t know that the timing was right for us to give up that type of quality and quantity of players."