So far, Philadelphia’s summer has been as quiet as it gets for a franchise that just signed a $172 million contract. The Phillies haven’t spoken much since they struck early and decisively to retain veteran rotation pillar Aaron Nola on a new seven-year contract worth that amount. Before Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers, Philadelphia extended an offer to him, and the franchise is reportedly considering extending Zack Wheeler before he becomes a free agent in the winter of 2020.
Apart than that, there has been almost little communication from Philadelphia. The Phillies have added hard-throwing righty Jose Ruiz in minor league free agency, but that’s all. It’s a bit unexpected for a team coming off of straight NLCS berths and with evident World Series hopes, but there is still a fair deal of offseason left to play out. Other than Nola and Ruiz, their main additions have been low-cost contracts with backup first baseman/outfielder Jake Cave ($1MM), swingman Dylan Covey ($850K), and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs ($850K) in order to avoid arbitration.
Nevertheless, it’s evident that the Phillies have more offseason business to conduct. In an interview with Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer last week, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski stated as much, saying that his team is “not just satisfied” and continues to strive for improvement. In an uncharacteristically quiet offseason by their norms, where may the Phillies look for improvements? Let’s examine this:
Bullpen enhancements
After losing Craig Kimbrel and assembling a large relief corps through minor league free agency, the Phillies have a need in the pen. Dombrowski made a brilliant move in signing Jeff Hoffman for a cheap price, but Bellatti’s miserable 2023 season with his bullpen shows the dangers of expecting that a minor league free agent who makes a big impact in the pen will translate to the next season. Hoffman had a modest resume, but he was legitimately dominant for the Phillies.
Rob Thomson projects Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Gregory Soto to be the core members of his bullpen. Bellatti remains available, and the previously mentioned Covey can go in as a spot starter and offer extended relief. During his conversation with Lauber, Dombrowski expressed his admiration for rookie Orion Kerkering and even mentioned that he had rejected trade bids for the 22-year-old.
In December, Alex Coffey of The Inquirer reported that the Phillies were planning to add a bullpen piece of some kind. Not long before that report, Jayson Stark of The Athletic made the suggestion that the Phillies are unlikely to pursue a true closer, so Citizens Bank Park shouldn’t be expecting a Josh Hader splash. The Phillies may consider looking at righties Robert Stephenson or Jordan Hicks if they feel comfortable taking a long-term approach. However, in recent offseasons, Dombrowski has veered toward short-term signings, signing Corey Knebel (one year, $10MM), Kimbrel (one year, $10MM), and Matt Strahm (two years, $15MM). Names like Aroldis Chapman, Ryne Stanek, and former pals Hector Neris and Michael Fulmer might be involved if he takes a similar route.
Outfielder with the right hand
The Phillies were planning to bolster their corner outfield mix with a right-handed hitter, according to Stark’s article from November. Should Brandon Marsh slide into a timeshare with Johan Rojas in center field, the new recruit might play left field as a platoonmate for Marsh or maybe take over left field full-time. Notable individuals who have left the game include Teoscar Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. But with Marsh, Rojas, Nick Castellanos, and Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies never appeared likely to play at the Gurriel/Hernandez level anyhow.
There are plenty of unrestricted free agents available to take on a corner role on the side. Enrique Hernandez, Tommy Pham, Randal Grichuk, and switch-hitters Aaron Hicks and Robbie Grossman are among the applicants for that kind of position. If the Phillies are happy to start the season with Marsh and Rojas in a platoon, they may consider looking to Adam Duvall or the adaptable Whit Merrifield to fill a more permanent left-field role.
Generally speaking, the bench
The Philadelphia bench doesn’t appear to be that of a team that wants to win the World Series and is a repeat NLCS team, so this is more of a theoretical requirement. In 125 plate appearances last season, Stubbs hit.204/.274/.283, which was a stark contrast to the.264/.350/.462 slash he recorded in a nearly identical sample the year before. Cave had a.212/.272/.348 average. Both are already signed to the cheap 2024 contracts I mentioned earlier, but should the Phillies add someone more significant, Cave would undoubtedly clear waivers and might be kept in Triple-A as depth. Stubbs, on the other hand, has an option left.
Both Pache and Edmundo Sosa are capable defensive players for the outfield and infield, respectively, but despite Pache’s impressive 2023 performance in a small sample of 95 plate appearances, neither is much of a hitter. Pache can play any outfield position and Sosa can play shortstop, second base, or third base, so there is some variety here. However, in terms of offensive potential, this is a weak squad, and a sustained injury to a regular would highlight that fact even more.
To move Alec Bohm into a reserve role and sign a full-time third baseman is one scenario that could change this lineup. Although the 27-year-old former No. 3 overall pick blasted 20 home runs and placed third on the team in runs scored, there are some reasons to doubt his capacity to produce runs at that caliber going forward. Bohm possesses a fair amount of power and outstanding bat-to-ball abilities, but lefties have taken the brunt of his damage. At a.303/.335/.594 clip (142 wRC+), he was a monster versus southpaws, but against righties, he was essentially a singles hitter (.263/.324/.377, 92 wRC+). Similar trends can be seen in his career splits:.314/.362/.530 against lefties and.262/.311/.358 against righties.
Bohm’s offensive profile would be more than sufficient even if he were a mediocre or even good defender. But during his career, Bohm has struggled at third base with -11 Outs Above Average and -46 Defensive Runs Saved. Although Bryce Harper now occupies first base, he might be a better match there.
Bohm is undoubtedly a big league caliber bat, but with his weak glove and lackluster performance against right-handed pitchers, it’s reasonable to argue that his usage should be restricted. With only one year of arbitration remaining and a projected salary of $4.4MM (according to MLBTR writer Matt Swartz), he is more than cheap in that capacity. However, if he doesn’t make significant progress against right-handed pitching and accumulates counting stats in a regular position, the cost may eventually surpass his value as he moves through arbitration.
Once again, the Bohm scenario is purely theoretical and has not been mentioned in public by Dombrowski. However, there are free agents such as Justin Turner, Matt Chapman, and Gio Urshela in the third base market, and other teams (Reds, Twins, Cardinals, Orioles) have excess infield players that might be traded. As one might anticipate from a back-to-back LCS participant, there isn’t a clear void in the lineup here, although Bohm playing a more specialized role might strengthen the roster in a number of ways. As an alternative, the Phillies may bring in a third baseman and try to replace left field’s right-handed hitting deficit with Bohm. Even though the defense isn’t particularly attractive, it is already so at third base.
Depth of rotation
One present obstacle, at least in relation to Dombrowski’s efforts to deepen the rotation, is that free agents perceive little chance for a definite rotation slot with the Phillies’ team because Nola, Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker, and Cristopher Sanchez are all signed contracts. While Dombrowski told Lauber that he hopes to eventually bring in some veteran arms who are willing to start the season in Triple-A and provide depth in the rotation, most of those pitchers are still holding out hope for permanent berths with other teams that have more pressing needs in the rotation.
It is extremely possible that the Phillies would gain by bringing in a seasoned veteran to fill the fifth position in the rotation on a short-term (maybe one-year) contract. Sanchez cannot, however, be sent down to the minors because he has used up all of his minor league options. Furthermore, he is deserving of consideration after making an impression in 99 1/3 innings last year with a 3.44 ERA, a 24.2% strikeout rate, and a spotless 4% walk rate. Dombrowski stated as much earlier in the offseason, saying in an interview with MLB Network that the rotation would be “set” if the team was successful in re-signing Nola. This was primarily due to the desire to give Sanchez a full season to prove himself following that outstanding 2023 campaign. Despite his age and potential, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was considered something of an anomaly, but that didn’t stop the Phillies from making an offer.
There should be a number of well-known players in the free-agent pool who ultimately sign non-guaranteed contracts. While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly who will be cut from a big league deal, rebound candidates like Brad Keller, Yonny Chirinos, Jake Odorizzi, Zach Davies, and Johnny Cueto come to mind as likely contenders.
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