Phillies Off-Season 2024-2025 (Hot Stove)

I don't understand the notion that Casty at 20 mill per year or 40 mill total for two years is untradeable but folks wanting to give up high level prospects for Bellinger. If Bellinger is tradable at 53 million over the next two years, then Casty certainly has value. I think in Casty case his value is more to the Phillies than they can muster in a trade but he still has value. I keep seeing he is untradable. I am sure the Yankees would love to have him for two pieces of string and a worn out baseball. Which is what they are trying to trade for Bellinger. Because the Cubs backed themselves into a corner. Trading for Tucker before having a deal in place for Bellinger took away their negotiating power. They don't have a place for Bellinger unless they put him at 1st base. Heck they really don't have a place for Suzuki either unless he DH's. Which he has said he does not want to do.

Once the Bellinger trade happens and it may not be to the Yankees at this point. I think it will open up more reasonable options to trade for outfield wise. Not having to give up 2 to 3 of your top 10 prospects for a 1 year rental.

I agree. Plus, Casty's second half was pretty decent.

I also agree.

Suarez is going to be pitching for a big payday and contract, so hope the Phillies keep him and he pitches light out and is extended a QO...He probably has the most trade value of anyone on the Phillies roster at this point.

Casty would be welcomed in KC, Detroit or Cincinnati and his $20 million isn't horrible when looking at what other aging current FA's are looking to get.

The bottom line to me is that the Phillies basically appear to be stuck. They simply don't have enough expendable valuable assets to trade. So, as a result, it's either buy free agents or run it back.

The issue with trading Casty at his mildly overpriced salary is that to replace him with something better would cost even more money or prospects. Alternative A is trading him while picking up $10 million in salary to get midlevel prospects. Then we need to fill the starting position and then we might be signing a $20 million player in addition to that $10 million in salary you pick up. Alternative B is trading Casty for a more expensive player and using the salary as part of the offset. But if we have to add prospects to Casty to get Bellinger, is that really worth it. Alternative C is trading Casty to get a younger player. Really hard to do that with including top prospects.

This is why each option of trading Castellanos really leads to trading better prospects or spending even more money. Both of those options may be inferior to just keeping him and adding a LF platoon bat.

Bohm and Rojas and a midlevel prospect for Rooker ?

By midseason the batting order could be ;

Crawford, Turner, Harper, Rooker, Schwarber, Casty, Stott. Realmuto and whoever you put as 3b. That would be a pretty formidable lineup.

BK has some really good ideas.

Turner would have to like the idea. Are the Phils afraid to ask him? Ask him already. Like this: Trea, you're one of the stars on this team and we want you to be fully satisfied where you play, but we'd like you to consider moving to LF. We feel the team could be a level stronger that way. How do you feel about the move? If you dislike it at all, you're our SS.

You don't have to insult the guy with the question. IMHO Sosa is the best IF on the team and he should play SS. Stott is nearly as good a fielder and better than Turner. Sosa has shown he can play 3B, SS and 2B equally well. Then the Phils don't have a crater in the lineup as they do now in LF and they can devote resources elsewhere.

The Phils' talent evaluation scouts have been whiffing for a while going after players with potential and having down seasons. The Phils biggest need is in the pen and they better get a proven arm or two. This is where they should spend a buck.

Not even Boras could sell Walker. Efforts to sell him would be disconnected faster than a telemarketer. He's ours for 2 more years. At the end of the season, it seemed that the Phils and Walker had an understanding that he needed to be rebuilt, in particular, get a lot stronger. He should be on a hellacious conditioning regimen like he's never imagined. He should be motivated to save his career. Let's watch and wait and hope for the best.

This move is a season late. With more rest, JT might play a level better. Marchan could be the catcher of the future, too. I love Stubb's D, the game he calls and his hustle, but he's another .200 hitter. Proved it all last season. Can Marchan stay healthy?

Marchan will be the backup this year or could be gone. He is out of options. They could stash him on the IL for awhile, but really the decision point for him is now. The Phillies could very well choose Stubbs in Spring Training and try to get Marchan through waivers (50-50 to lose him), but if they make that decision they are essentially saying Marchan is not that good anyway.

Goes in another thread I know, but the anti-Bellinger people in this thread can now rest easy LOL

If you trade Cody Poteet and get Bellinger plus $5M, that's a deal. Wouldn't care about the plethora of lefties as that's a no-brainer

This still feels like DD wants to add a younger, cheaper outfielder. He does not want the salary situation to get out of hand in ways that will limit him in the future. Running it back with tweaks still means the ability to go after an outfielder better than a cheap platoon option is still there.

That was just not enough money coming back from the Cubs, but it also cost the Yankees very little as a result. And they obviously do not have the same hesitation the Phillies do to bust past the Steve Cohen line (and are under more pressure, being the y are the Yankees and having lost Soto). I was interested in Bellinger but paying Bellinger $45 million in real money (salary + tax) if he's only a 2 WAR instead of a 3-4 WAR would not have been great.

There's still plenty of time and plenty of moves to be made. But if they stay they course and get it wrong, I don't think they will take a step back, I think they'll go crazy at the deadline or next year or both.

There still a lot of offseason left. A lot can happen or nothing can happen. JT Realmuto was traded to the Phillies in February, a week before pitchers and catchers reported.

For what's it worth, Vegas odds already have the Phillies behind the NY Soto Mets and Atlanta Healthier Braves for the division and 2025 World Series.