Phillies Off-Season 2024-2025 (Hot Stove)

[EDmuch]

If Castellanos is part of the trade for Suzuki or Bellinger, we would still be one outfielder short.

[Aquapong]

I would think Ranger for Suzuki might work. The Cubs are looking for salary relief and starting pitching. Suzuki would give us the RH bat for LF at ~$10 mil this year and $18 mil next year. JT and Schwarber are either gone, on a QO deal, or signed for less. Strahm and Alvarado have club options for 2026. Suzuki does have full no trade though.

A deal for Bellinger is just too difficult imo due to his player option for 2026.

[dcsman]

I like the idea of Bellinger or Suzuki but am leaning more towards Suzuki since he bats right. Regardless, I think both will be good to go for next year.

Jordan Montgomery seems like a decent bounceback candidate too and I know we've discussed Walker as part of a trade there. Let's get these winter meetings started already!

[saycheese]

The Cubs are trading outfielders from a surplus. They need pitching. A deal for Suzuki would probably require Ranger for him. I would do that if they backup plan for Ranger replacement. Such as trading for Crochet or another starter. The 5th stop is going to have about 10 guys competing for time until Painter is ready which I think is going to be in May/June. Tyler Phillips, Seth Johnson, Mercado, Maybe Abel, Maybe even a Moise Chace gets a shot at it.

[zambonir]

Listen, I might trade Crawford for Suzuki. Then you still have Nick and Marsh/Rojas in CF.

Bellinger too though the Cubs would have to throw in a fair amount of $.

But it seems the Phillies prefer to trade Bohm than prospects, which I get. I don't think they will trade Ranger without a clear idea what the rotation is without him, agreed. Painter and all those guys are fine as 5s but not 3-4s. (And Ranger was a 2 or even 1 when he was really rolling.)

[allentown]

I like the idea of Bellinger or Suzuki but am leaning more towards Suzuki since he bats right. Regardless, I think both will be good to go for next year.

We would only have Bellinger for a year, but would have Suzuki for 4 years, although not at fixed cost. I'd do Ranger for Suzuki, but then we need to add 1 or 2 SPs.

[zambonir]

Bellringer has a $25M player option for 2026 with $5 million on top of that guaranteed (I.e. it's a buyout the team pays if he doesn't stay). If he plays like he did last year he'd probably opt in, just as he did this year at 27.5 (which otherwise would have gotten him a $2.5 million buyout).

But if he plays well enough to opt out, A) that probably means good things happened for the Phillies (though you never know in October obviously) and B) the Phillies would probably want to re-sign him.

But either way they probably don't want him with a $30M AAV. Cubs would have to throw in around $15 million (i.e. 10 this year plus the buyout) to get a good return for him and then if he's a keeper you tear up the 2026 deal. He's still only 29 now but he'd be your typical over-31 FA by then.

[dcsman]

I don't do this deal for just Pressly.

[saycheese]

I don't have much interest in Pressly. I don't think the Phillies do either, not at 15 million for one year. He is overpriced and overaged. Much better option would be give Estevez 15 million (which I think they can get him for less) and keep Bohm. Estevez over the past two years has been a better pitcher. Even if you give Estevez a multi year contract its still a better deal.

These guys who are making up these rumors and they are made up, do they really think DD is going to just give away a 28yr old 3rd baseman for a declining overpriced reliever? Come on man. That is being disrespectful to DD.

[zambonir]

USA Today=Nightengale right? 'nuff said.

There might be a deal there if the Astros throw in a prospect. Maybe even two. But I think the Astros probably need to trade Pressley at least partly so they can afford Bregman.

[saycheese]

I am not even sure that makes sense. Just resign Estevez at that point. Nothing is given up and the money is about the same. The output at worst is even but Estevez being 5 years younger is still the better bet.

[bkeich]

How do we have 811 posts in the Phillies Offseason Thread and they haven’t even signed a bat boy?

When it was said earlier that it won’t be a big offseason for the Phillies it wasn’t a joke. Nothing so far. Meetings are coming, but honestly even our prospective trade candidates may not get much action (Phillies probably want more than league values Bohm and Ranger, Casty is really untradeable in most scenarios with negative value, etc).

I am not sure just running it back with the whole team a year older is a good plan, even adding 130-150 innings from Painter.

[Squire]

Bat Boy was still in his arb years.

[jimbomill]

Pressly might be on the downside ... not sure that I'd do that trade

[zambonir]

Pressley is far more proven than Estevez and possibly still better, but that is accompanied by advancing age. He could get worse. But Estevez is nothing special.

The Astros are hoping some team bites on Pressley and that salary as a closer, which Phillies don't necessarily need to do either.

I'd still take a reliever on a $15 million one-year deal over one on a $50 million four-year deal every time. But prefer Hoffman in the latter case.

Phillies should get busy fast now. They were ready to sign Holmes (as a reliever, and it's not like he doesn't have warts like the rest of them). The OF market was waiting on Soto and now the 3B market is waiting on Bregman (if they are selling).

[Austinfan]

Not sure it's a bad plan with a few minor tweaks.
Are there any "needle movers" out there?
This team would have won 100 games with a decent 5th starter.

I'm not against making moves, but there should be no urgency and they should definitely not get older and more expensive.

[zambonir]

If the Phillies had wanted Tyler O'Neil he'd be here. If they want Profar or Santander they can still get them. Not sure any of those things need to happen though.

And all of the relievers are still on the market. They could be going after Tanner Scott or Treinen or a bunch of other guys besides Hoffman or Estevez, in addition to the trade possibilities.

[zambonir]

One more reliever off the board

Dodgers, Blake Treinen agree to reunion with 2-year, $22 million deal: Sources

My biggest worry is really the Hoffman-as-starter thing. I think that's the only thing keeping it from being an easy reunion and a price both sides can live with. And if two of the five top closers types aren't even relievers the competition for the other three gets bigger too.

[saycheese]

I used Estevez as an example to say how ludicrous a writer would think the Phillies would deal an 28yr old All Star 3rd baseman for him. Not only that, that the Phillies would be the aggressor on that.
My point is if they want a Pressly type then just resign Estevez. I don't think he is going to get anything more than a 2 yr deal and probably in that 12 mill per year range.
I don't think Pressly at his age + contract is worth anything more than a B level prospect. Just my opinion. Maybe someone comes along and gives them a top 15 guy for him in hopes he can close again.

[saycheese]

Yes I don't think they want to solve the outfield issue with a FA. Santander wouldn't be horrible and I wouldn't be opposed to him other than that I think they may be looking at a deal for someone. With Soto signed, the outfield market both trade and FA wise will become much more clear. They are going to get someone. The question is who?