Keith Law Top 50 free agents:
No predictions or team specifics. He loves Correa more than Seager for the defense. Things Marte (13) is a $20 million player. Schwarber 20th and Conforto right behind him as we look at LF bats. Iglesias the top closer (31) in a thin field of closers. Jansen (35), Kimbrel (39). Cutch at 43 and no Hector on the list.
I realize there is no shot and a first baseman is the last thing they need, but Freddie Freeman might be just as impactful on the Phillies as anyone else they could go after for his ability and presence to make some clubhouse culture improvements.
For whatever reason it feels like the narrative has turned towards the possibility that he won't though. Maybe that's because of the World Series win - if he left now nobody would really begrudge. And in the modern game nobody would also blame the Braves if they didn't want overpay.
Would you really want the Phillies to, even? A 32 year-old, $22-25 million AAV player, would you go four years?
If Freeman doesn't get 140 million+ I'd be shocked. I know he'll go back to the Braves, but I wouldn't mind running up the price on them.
Remains to be seen if we are even players at the top of the market, the way DD is talking. But if so, it's surely for other players/positions.
I suppose the MLBTR free agent predictions will be coming shortly. Always a good read, more for the $ than the teams.
The issue with Freeman to the phils (besides the money) is the fact that both Harper and Freeman are left handers. I assume you trade Rhys if you sign Freeman. Is JT an impactful enough RH bat to put between them? Especially if hes only in there 130 games?
If you could move Rhys to DH and keep him.. a lineup of Segura, JT, Freeman, Hoskins, Harper, Bohm, Didi, LF, CF would be pretty good.. but you really need that DH spot to rotate Harper, Realmuto etc
The Phillies have hired Anthony Contreras as their new triple A manager, farm director Preston Mattingly said. Contreras has managed since 2014 in San Diego's minor-league system and Mattingly was hired in Sept. from the Padres.
— Matt Breen ( @matt_breen ) November 5, 2021
Source confirms: Superstar outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be available to @MLB teams through the posting process. The 27-year-old will immediately become one of the top outfielders available this winter. Here's my story. @MLBNetwork 6https://t.co/Fb1QWVdokO6
— Jon Morosi ( @jonmorosi ) November 5, 2021
Phillies announce they have picked up LHP Ryan Sherriff off waivers from Tampa Bay.
— Jim Salisbury ( @JSalisburyNBCS ) November 5, 2021
There is a lot to like in his profile. We could do worse replacing Cutch. I just wonder if $15 million a year is enough (plus posting fees). More walks than strikeouts in recent years and will only be 27 next year, so we would really be depending on scouts to tell us if he can handle the higher velocity in the U.S.
I still think we should get a bat for LF and cut/paste in CF with inexpensive defensive players.
I’m onboard with that, but I would prefer Kyle Schwarber.
Seiya profiles better than the last several Japanese players making the switch, but recent history of players switching over has not been good. I would feel much more confident if they replace Cutch with something proven. The Phillies don’t have enough money margin for an expensive experiment to not work out.
Schwarber works for me too. Probably in that same $15-$20 million range as the Japanese guy. Both are young enough that a 3-year deal is pretty safe. Even a 4th year (ideally as an option).
Defense is still important, but should not be a priority in LF especially with the DH likely. Cutch as a right-handed power bat was really important to the lineup as Bohm failed and Hoskins got hurt. If we do sign a left-handed bat like Schwarber we better be really sure that Hoskins and Bohm will be plusses in the lineup or we might get a bit too left-handed.
If they go for left field, I suspect Castellanos. would be our primary target because of his past connection to DD.
Castellanos scares me. Someone is going to over pay him for this past season without looking at the fact that his OPS away from Cincy was only .773. ANd he has negative dWAR at both fangraphs and BBref hit entire career.
Hes a solid player who had a career year in 2021. But turns 30 and will want 3-4 years at least 20M a year. He opted out of 16M for 2022, 16M for 2023 and 20M mutual option for 2024.
So you have to assume hes looking for at the very least 3/60M and probably more like 4/80M
Hosts of MLB radio were talking about Castellanos today, speculating Boras' expectation will be 5yr 125 mil. That sounds like Boras and he'll have to settle for less. However, Castellanos should not be on Phillies radar at all. Beside the money, it's just not a good fit with what they already have. They are set in RF, and Castellanos has limited (bad) experience in LF.
Herrera gone.
JD Hammer a bit of a surprise.
The following six players have been outrighted and have elected free agency: RHP’s JD Hammer & Ramón Rosso, C Andrew Knapp, INF Ronald Torreyes and OF’s Odúbel Herrera & Travis Jankowski.
— Philadelphia Phillies ( @Phillies ) November 5, 20213
Hammer wasn't even in the majors at the end of the year was he? He had his moments but still pretty much fungible, and not the first time he's been removed from the 40.
Well that is 4 of the 9 arbitration eligibles: Knapp, Torreyes, Herrera, and Jankowski.
Left are Hoskins, Eflin, Alvarado, Dominguez, and Quinn. I think this means they are keeping Quinn. I think the roster is going to be pretty thin this winter and Quinn at $700K is a good risk if they know his rehab is going well. Do we really think that left-handed reliever they just claimed is potentially more valuable than Quinn?
This could change if they sign a major center fielder and there is no path to playing time and less need for a defensive OF reserve, but the real cost of Quinn is the roster spot over the winter (they could always release him in Spring Training too).
