Phillies Off-Season 2024-2025 (Hot Stove)

UnsaltySailor 2024-12-19 12:01:34 UTC #1102

JT can't receive QO. Phillies placed it on him last time he was a FA.

Aquapong 2024-12-19 12:55:13 UTC #1103

Yeah you’re right. I guess it would just be Schwarbs and Suarez potentially. Maybe JT will take a more team friendly deal, but we’ll see.

zambonir 2024-12-19 12:55:55 UTC #1104

Ah good catch. Seems so long ago. I wonder if that will make it harder to keep him from testing the market.

biggsphils 2024-12-19 15:04:03 UTC #1105

The O's didn't want Hays, then turn around and say they need a right handed bat, meaning he wasn't the answer, i would rather have Wilson out there

phillychuck 2024-12-19 15:11:35 UTC #1106

I suspect Hays is going to have to take a minor league deal somewhere with an invite. I wouldn't mind the Phils doing that. I think he was broken when we got him, and he will need to figure out what was wrong.

andyb 2024-12-19 15:14:35 UTC #1107

Clearly this team is sending signals though that they want somebody better than Hays or Wilson.

phillychuck 2024-12-19 15:16:22 UTC #1108

I don't know , Andy, is the team sending signals or are we expressing our ideas as fans (and reporters)? I don't think I've heard anything definitive from the Phils...

Austinfan 2024-12-19 15:22:01 UTC #1109

If DD wanted to pay the price, he would have obtained someone already.
By waiting, he's signalling he either doesn't want to use real assets or take on real money.

After the initial FA frenzy, prices go down for the remaining players as potential buyers are eliminated.
This is how poorer teams find bargains.
There's nothing wrong with DD taking this route this offseason, it's not like this team needs a major shakeup.

andyb 2024-12-19 15:22:22 UTC #1110

A couple of weeks ago DD said outfield was the most obvious upgrade they were looking for while saying moving Harper back there was not an option they were considering.

And most rumors out there are focused on outfield improvements. They have never said specifically what their overall plan is (because they shouldn't), but the tea leaves are pretty clear.

biggsphils 2024-12-19 15:26:54 UTC #1111

Realisticaly theres no way of staying below the top threshold and upgrading LF,bullpen, and 5th starter without trading Painter or Miller. Instead of trading Bohm , send Casty and prosect or 2 to Cards for Arenado and Helsley. Casty and Arenado's contracts are a wash for next 2 years (Cards benefit on not paying Arenado's 2027 year) Phils get better defensively at 3rd and Rf . Harper would have to move back to RF, Bohm to 1st, and Phils get 1 of the premier closers in the league.I don't think his 8 mil. this year would put them over the top

allentown 2024-12-19 16:24:03 UTC #1112

And yet the rumored trade with the most activity behind it was Bohm for a top reliever. This also suggests that contrary to what many are posting, DD believes he needs to acquire a closer. If you're offering your #2 rbi guy, that suggests pitching is his greatest concern. A very young, long-control reliever, so a good target, but that was the direction DD was going.

phillychuck 2024-12-19 16:45:58 UTC #1113

It depends on how much credibility you give to rumors, really. I think experience has shown us to give approximately zero credit to rumors coming from the DD Phillies--they keep their cards concealed.

The one thing definitive they have said is Harper is not going back to the OF, so that eliminates some options.

zambonir 2024-12-19 17:09:23 UTC #1114

DD has overtly and publicly said he wants to upgrade the OF, and LF specifically. That was the first round of meetings. But wants to doesn't mean can or will.

He also tried to trade Bohm for starting pitching (to Seattle). I actually don't recall there being a specific rumored reliever deal? Arenado plus Helsely had a lot of chatter but that was definitely just rumor.

Oh, you meant Mason Miller, that seemed more like a fishing expedition, just like offering Bohm in a deal for Tucker. And a lot of people see Miller as going back to being a starter. Plus he has many years of control. He was probably more like Crochet. But if you couldn't get Devon Williams for Bohm you weren't going to get him. And obviously you coudln't get Crochet either.

Clearly they are not going to trade Bohm for a low return, but they are also not going to attach a Top 5 prospect to him to get a great return.

I wouldn't rule out Arenado, the reported Astros deal would have gotten his AAV down to $15 million which the Phillies could easily manage, but it only works if you can get Bohm dealt for something that makes the team better overall and that just might not be there.

I'm sure Hays will still get $2-4 million guaranteed. He just had some bad luck with the health stuff last year but the non-tender had nothing to do with that and everything to do with his overall performance the past two years (I.e. merely a platoon guy).

biggsphils 2024-12-19 17:44:02 UTC #1115

I think they need to move on from all 3 and somehow go younger, With those 3 and Romano you would clear over 63 mil off the the books

zambonir 2024-12-19 17:58:43 UTC #1116

Somehow, but how? Even if Marchan proves to be good and healthy enough to be an 80-game catcher JT would still be one of the 10 best catchers in the game for the rest of the 80. And if you want a new 110-120 game catcher he'd either cost you in trade or be just as expensive and not necessarily young.

But JT should still take a pay cut, and Schwarber as well. The years would be the bigger challenge. Certainly Schwarber is not a no-brainer, there are a lot of DHs out there, and a real advantage to not having a single DH (or moving Casty there). Of course they could also use that money next year on someone like Tucker. But, a lot of moves and OF play still to come before that crossroads.

bkox 2024-12-19 19:25:00 UTC #1117

Bohm is a terrible 1st baseman and Harper was a gold glove finalist. Harper is no longer a good RF and may not hold up well physically there. IMO this would just make the team worse

julio 2024-12-19 19:55:50 UTC #1118

Don't worry about it; it's not going to happen. Dombrowski was clear on that.

UnsaltySailor 2024-12-19 20:16:23 UTC #1119

Our other high leverage reliever has arrived

UnsaltySailor 2024-12-19 20:22:45 UTC #1120

While Bleacher Report is questionable at best, the Jeff Passan quote is of note and contradicts Rosenthal's previous comments.

zambonir 2024-12-19 20:25:44 UTC #1121

I'm sure he's the first of several. It appears he's out of options though so he really would have to pitch his way into a permanent roster spot (like Ruiz), or out of one (like Andrew Vasquez eventually did).

No need to post a BR story, post the story they are cribbing from.

Wasn't Passan the guy originally reporting Bohm was available? He doesn't seem to have any original reporting here (not that Rosenthal did either though), just summarizing what came out of the winter meetings.

What he says above is that Rosenthal actually reported that it was the A's who went to the Phillies asking about Bohm, and the Phillies said, sure, give us Miller. If that's how it went down, than yeah, they are setting a price that is tantamount to not really wanting to trade him, which was also true of the other rumors.

Also a lot of new reports about Arenado today, that Astros were gonna have to pick up 59 not 45, and that Arenado wants to play for the Dodgers, who are interested even if it means displacing Muncy (who would presumably still end up playing everywhere). But probably a longshot. Mostly Arenado doesn't have to accept a trade until Bregman is signed because then more teams will come calling. And the Astros don't actually need a 3B (they were going to move Paredes, who they just got, to 1B).