The MLB off-season is strange. In every other league the second free agency starts, the big names start coming off the board. But with the MLB, we are over a month into free agency, and some of the biggest names have yet to sign. Everyone was waiting for the Shoehei Ohtani shoe to drop before making other moves. And now that it has, deals are slowly starting to be made. The question for us is, what will the Phillies be doing?
So far their big move has been bringing back Aaron Nola. And they did so on what is actually a somewhat team-friendly deal. But after how last year ended, and with what the Dodgers are doing, it is not enough. Simply running it back will not cut it. They need to get better not just to keep up with the Dodgers and Braves, but because the last two years they just were not good enough. Luckily, Dave Dombrowski seems to understand that. It has been reported that the Phillies are willing to go further over the Luxury Tax Threshold.
But who might they do that for? What types of players would be enough to push them over that hill? Do they need another starting pitcher? Is an extra bat more important? Or should they focus on building up a great bullpen? There are still some good players out there that would fill one of those 3 needs.
(This article originally also listed Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Josh Hader, and Teoscar Hernandez, but they have since been signed by other teams)
Here are 5 players who make sense for the Phillies to target:
Whit Merrifield
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Signing Whit Merrifield is not going to have fans running out to Rally House to get a jersey. But it would be a solid addition. The Phillies need a full-time Left fielder. Harper is playing first, letting Schwarber be the DH. They dont trust Johan Rojas to be the full-time center fielder after how poorly he played in the post-season. So Marsh may move back there, creating a hole in left field.
Merrifield is not a star. But he is solid across the board. Plays well in the field, puts the ball in play, and has some speed on the bases. Is he a difference-maker? Not really. But it’s another solid player who won’t go down swinging at something 5 feet out of the zone like certain people on this team did.
Robert Stephenson
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Stephenson is likely not on many fans’ radars. Relief pitchers who don’t get saves don’t get noticed too much outside of their own fanbase. But Stephenson was fantastic for the Rays last season. He has a plus fastball, and recently added a great cutter that took his game to new heights.
Could he turn into a closer? Maybe. But even if he just comes over here to be a middle-inning guy it would be an improvement. He has great stuff and doesn’t have the pesky walk problem so many of the Phillies relievers had last year. He had 8 walks and 60 strikeouts in 38.1 innings last season.
Matt Moore
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Matt Moore is not the sexiest free agent on the market. And many Phillies fans’ memories are probably tainted from when he was here as a starter. But since then, he has found new life as a relief pitcher. And last year between 3 teams he had a 2.77 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, 57 ks, with just 16 walks in in 48.2 innings. He is not a needle mover, but he would be another solid arm out of the pen. And as we have learned, the more reliable guys you have the better. Otherwise, you will wind up overusing your big arms, and they will have nothing left come playoff time.
Joc Pederson
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Pederson trolled Phillies fans earlier in the offseason when out of nowhere he posted a photo of himself with the Phillie Phanatic with the cpation “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” People assumed it meant he was signing here. But that was not the case. He does make some sense though.
Like Hernandez, he does not exactly fit the style of player the Phillies need. He is another low-batting-average guy with decent pop. But he has a bit less swing and miss to his game, and draws more walks than Hernadez does. The problem is that like Hernandez, he is a liability in the field.
There is not a left fielder that fits all of their needs. Everyone either has a bad glove, too much swing and miss to their game or a combo of both. Merrifield is probably the closest thing to what they need, but he lacks the pop that Hernandez and Pederson have. Any of the 3 would at least provide an improvement though. And Pederson’s big personality would likely make him a fan favorite.
