PHILADELPHIA — Everybody is waiting for the Phillies to strike.
They have money to spend, and they have every reason to spend it. Last month they fell two victories short of the third World Series championship in franchise history, so they have no intention of pulling back and getting conservative.
“We’re going to push the needle to try to win,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last month. “I mean, we’re close, right? We’re going to try to win. … We’re open-minded to having the best club we possibly can and see where it takes us. … I think we have [payroll] flexibility. I mean, we did lose a couple guys that made significant dollars. In fact, more than one this year. So we have some flexibility.”
The Phillies’ contingent heads to San Diego for next week’s Winter Meetings with an aggressive mindset. A few things to know:
Shortstop: The Phillies have been calling their biggest need “middle infield,” if only because they technically have the flexibility to find a shortstop or a second baseman, but it is clear that the Phillies are pursuing one of the game’s top four free-agent shortstops, focusing their efforts on Trea Turner. And why wouldn’t they? He is an absolutely dynamic player who would look perfect somewhere at the top of the Phillies’ lineup. But let’s not pretend that Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson wouldn’t work well, too.
Potential Trade Candidates
The Phils figure to deal from their farm system if they make any trades at the Winter Meetings. This is a franchise trying to add to its NL-championship roster, after all.
Next spring you will hear plenty about Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry, the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 prospects in the organization, respectively, according to MLB Pipeline. Dombrowski said recently that the Phillies will hold a rotation spot for one of their top young arms, a group that includes left-handers Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sánchez. Painter is the top competition for Falter and Sánchez, with the latter two perhaps having the edge because of their big league experience. (Falter went 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 appearances, with 16 starts, last season.) But Painter is the real deal, with Dombrowski comparing him to a young Josh Beckett, so keep a close eye on him this spring. Abel and McGarry have bright futures, but they probably need more seasoning in Triple-A.
The Phillies protected only one player: outfielder Johan Rojas, the organization’s No. 5 prospect. Other top prospects — Painter, Abel, McGarry, Justin Crawford and others — are not eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The Phillies did not protect right-handers McKinley Moore (No. 24 prospect), Andrew Schultz and Cristian Hernández, and left-handers Erik Miller (No. 7) and Ethan Lindow. Interestingly, the Phillies said recently that Moore, Schultz and Miller could be bullpen options in 2023.
How far will the Phillies go?
It really is the only question. It is a foregone conclusion that the Phillies will sign one of the four free-agent shortstops. That would be big. But how far will they go beyond that? Do they sign a formidable middle-of-the-rotation starter, or would it be better to stack behind Wheeler, Nola and Suárez? Do they find a few legitimate late-inning bullpen options for manager Rob Thomson to pair behind Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado? Or do they go for more depth-type pieces?
