I Phillies they are known to seek outside help this winter, even though they are traveling Bryce Harper from first base back to the outfield doesn’t seem like a consideration. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if the Phils can re-evaluate the situation, as Lauber feels the early market (both free agents and trade opportunities) is much deeper than the winter offseason. Of the top players heading into free agency, Juan Soto looks like it’s going to one of the other big market clubs, though Teoscar Hernandez again Anthony Santander each have strikeout or pass-rushing issues the Phillies are already looking to address within their current lineup. Philadelphia was interested in Hernandez back at the 2023 trade deadline when the slugger was still a member of the Mariners, but Lauber notes that the Phils passed on Hernandez under the same assumption that Hernandez’s power would not eliminate his tendency to swing and miss.
Harper’s first full season as a first baseman proved to be a success, as he posted solid defensive numbers and maintained his usual high standards at the plate. These results understandably left both teams content to keep Harper in the cold corner, though Harper has expressed an openness to playing the outfield and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has not completely closed the door on the possibility (“I can’t say we won’t do it, but it’s not something we think about or want to do.“) when discussing the topic at GM Meetings last month.
If Harper returns to his old position in right field, Brandon Marsh again Johan Rojas it might be a new Phillies outfield team, too Nick Castellanos it may have been transferred to the left side. This configuration would not make for a very strong defensive outfield, even if the Phillies tried to balance the situation by adding a solid outfielder at first. Trading Castellanos to make room in the outfield could be a good outcome, though that’s easier said than done when you consider the two years and $40MM left on the veteran’s contract.
More from the NL East…
- Before the Foreigners they broke up with Kyle Finneganthe two teams had at least some discussions about a new contract before the non-tender deadline, but Andrew Golden of the Washington Post hears from a source that “the sides were not close to reaching an agreement to avoid arbitration.” Finnegan was projected by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz to earn $8.6MM in his final year of arb eligibility, as traditional accounting metrics such as saves (Finnegan had 28 saves in 2023 and 38 saves in 2024) tend to increase the salaries of free agents. to a significant degree, regardless of whether Finnegan’s secondary metrics are shaky. It seems like the Nationals would be open to keeping their closer at a lower price, but ultimately they weren’t comfortable keeping Finnegan and possibly facing a higher salary in arbitration if the Nats couldn’t trade Finnegan later. day this offseason.
- Sandy Alcantara underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023, and after more than a year of recovery and rehabilitation, Marlins ace seems to be making good progress in recovery. In a recent appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (link to X), manager Clayton McCullough said he met with Alcantara during the past week and “he looked good, he sounded good, he felt like he was really good this time….All signs point to things looking very good at the start of the season..” The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner, Alcantara threw more innings than any other pitcher in baseball during the 2019-2022 season as the anchor of the Marlins’ pitching staff, before that job seemed to be handed to him late in the 2023 campaign. With Alcantara owed at least $36MM in the final two years of his contract, some trade talks are inevitable if he looks like his old self by the start of 2025, though the rebuilding Marlins told Alcantara last summer that they might not be. t trade him this offseason.
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