2024 Rule 5 Draft and Phillies Discussion

Other Stuff

The Winter Meetings came to an end today with the Rule 5 Draft.  The Phillies gains and losses in both phases are listed below.

This will also serve as the current Phillies Discussion.

In the major league phase (lost one, gained one) –

Minnesota selected RHP Eiberson Castellano from the Phillies in the first round of the Rule 5 Draft.

Phillies selected RHP Mike Vasil from Syracuse, the Triple-A affiliate of the NY Mets.

In the minor league phase (lost none, gained six) –

Phillies selected OF Eduardo Lopez from the Red Sox Hi-A roster.

Phillies selected RHP Enmanuel Mejia from the Rays Double-A roster.

Phillies selected RHP Augusta Calderon from the Cardinals Single-A roster.

Phillies selected OF Elio Prado from the Orioles Hi-A roster.

Phillies selected RHP Gabriel Barbosa from Yankees Hi-A roster.

Phillies selected INF Isaias Dipre from the Pirates Dominican Summer League roster.

The Phillies “filled” all 6 vacancies they left on the Lehigh roster.  The drafted payers can be assigned to any level in the organization.

Important Dates

  • December 8-11, 2024: Baseball Winter Meetings, Dallas, TX
  • December 10, 2024: MLB Draft Lottery.
  • December 11, 2024: Major League Rule 5 Draft – Winter Meetings, Dallas, TX
  • December 15, 2024: End of 2024 International Signing Period

Transactions

  • 12/11/2024 – Minnesota selected RHP Eiberson Castellano from Reading
  • 12/11/2024 – Phillies selected RHP Mike Vasil from Syracuse (NYM)
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted OF Eduardo Lopez from the Red Sox A+ roster
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted RHP Enmanuel Mejia from the Rays AA roster
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted Augusta Calderon from the Cardinals A roster
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted OF Elio Prado from the Orioles A+ roster
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted RHP Gabriel Barbosa from Yankees A+ roster
  • 12/11/2024 – Lehigh Valley drafted INF Isaias Dipre from the Pirates DSL roster
  • 12/10/2024 – Phillies signed FA C Payton Henry to an MiLB contract
  • 12/09/2024 – Phillies signed free agent RHP Jordan Romano

 

227 thoughts on “2024 Rule 5 Draft and Phillies Discussion”

  1. What I found off Mets website on Vasil:

     6’5″ RHP… throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a simple, clean delivery using a short arm action through the back. …., his control is solid, though he is not always able to command his pitches…throws a four-seam fastball primarily that peaks at 98 mph, but sits in the 92-95 range. … a mid-80s slider.. with a 12-6 curveball and changeup that he uses against lefties. .. holding velocity has been an issue.   FB: 50  CB: 50 Slider: 55 CU: 45  Control: 50 Overall: 40.

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    1. Obviously they think they can make him a reliever. Maybe he can hold upper 90s for an inning. If the slider is a 55 pitch that might be enough to get outs.

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    1. Glad he went to BOS if it wasnt the Phils at a reasonable price. Focus on getting Kyle Tucker, which shoudl transform the lineup with 1 more additional player to round it out.

      Then focus on the Bullpen piece before finally going to get Painter his 1/2 punch partner.

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      1. The Astros would have to decide they want to sign Bregman and trade Tucker. Despite the national press musings, I find that unlikely.

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          1. Someone may regret signing Bregman (I expect it to be a relatively bad contract over the long haul), but the Giants are really going to regret the Adames contract – I think they are out of their minds. That’s a terrible deal. I haven’t felt so bad about a contract since Bryant’s contract.

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      2. Yankees look to be circling in on Tucker….Crane cannot pay Soto money to him once he hits free agency..Luis Gil mentioned as one trade asset. He will a one-year rental like Soto was.

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  4. Can someone explain to me how a pitcher can have ratings on his individual pitches like Vasil has: 50-50-55-45-50 and end up with an overall 40? What the heck am I missing here?

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    1. I was thinking the same, but it is Romus calculating so I knew it had to be right on. Also just saw they are giving Red Sox and A and White Sox a B. Sounds like they think WS still did not get enough for Crochet.

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          1. He could end up with a 40 overall rating because while some of their individual pitches might be around (50) average, they likely lack significant “plus” pitches graded above 50 and might have a major weakness in one area, like command or a specific pitch type, which is being graded significantly lower like the 45 in this example bringing their overall grade down considerably. 50 means a league average pitch. 45 below average velocity and movement, hitters can easily pick it up. In this example even though the pitcher has pitches rated at 50 or above, their below average change up and lack of command can drag their overall grade down to 40. That’s what AI sez ….and phhhhtttttt that’s the truth.

            Furthermore, Hoosier Don 🤔 …… D. Bible 😉

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            1. Wow. Romus, you got all of that. These numbers remind me of my Statistics classes in college. Prof said you could make numbers say whatever you want them to say.

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  5. i keep our farm guys over doing the crotch deal too

    can’t sell the farm, going to need some young guys to fill roles and not sink the team come 2027/2028 and they know it and so does the league.. thing with that is that have to throw some young guys some bones and provide the coffee to fuel the overdrive desire

    need that urine and vinegar back… they had that with Wolfe/Vierling etc… things were exciting and fresh until they started to mess with it by trying to buy it… don’t keep making the same mistakes… i get the buying aspect but it has to be grown too and that is/should be focus here for another 5 years to see how things look after the redesigned approach that i guess came after Klentak with Preston etc.. i really want to see it play out organically and with low artifical infusion from the market

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    2. I sometimes criticize DD but I think, in the past, when he flipped so many prospects with other organizations it was mostly because he was under instruction to do so. I am fairly confident that most of those owners told him to win now and he proceeded accordingly. I am also fairly confident that Middleton told him he wanted the Phillies to get good and stay good, which means hanging onto the elite prospects whenever possible.

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    1. I’d never undertook that philliesbuster if I’d known they were going to 🤸 him for 💰 …. bummer …. save it for next time!

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  10. McGarry made it through the Rule 5; Castellano didn’t. Eiberson may not stick for a season in Minnesota and could get returned. But you can’t say the Phils have a stacked 39/40 man roster keeping Castellano from being protected. A 30 year old like Cuas doesn’t fit the profile of guys taken today. Castellano was the Paul Owens Award pitcher in the system so it didn’t add up for me.

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    1. McGarry is a very borderline prospect right now – not at all surprised he wasn’t selected. Castellano – that was a bit disappointing – he’s a pretty good prospect.

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    2. I think the “Paul Owens” award is a little bit like being the best club fighter, doesn’t mean that much and especially so if the club is so, so in talent.

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      1. If you look at the Phils’ 40-man, there’s a lot of dead wood. I’d have protected Castellano and McGarry. I see pitchers there who will be answers to trivia questions in 18 months.

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        1. Agree ………… never felt that you need an “Analytical Degree” to remove discards from our 40 man.

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  11. I’d say I bummed but I knew it was going to happen. Castellano is easy for the Twins to carry as a back of the BP piece to start on their 26 man.

    I can’t say I ever really saw him pitch other than some short clips of him recording double digit K games.

    His splits against lefties weren’t all that great so maybe that was a reason they felt a reason to leave him exposed.

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    1. DMAR…also bummed…Castellano for one, but also the Vasil turnabout….what was that all about! Select him and then trade for cash con…..seriously. I do not know the plan there. If there are plans in the works with the Rays on a future trade, ok can understand it….but if it dies on the vine. Then scratch my head.

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      1. Wish I had the shoulder shrug emoji. If I had the will power I’d turn everything off the next couple months and just show back up at ST.

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      2. I think the TB GM had to go to “the Head” when his time came up and he gave DD the brotherhood sign “you got my back” ……. so to speak!

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  12. Are the Astros shopping Tucker or just listening? I can understand them letting Bregman walk, he’s entering his age 31 season and he had a terrible first half of the season.

    Kyle Tucker will be a FA at age 29. He will most certainly get paid and I was under the impression that the Astros owner was willing to spend.

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    1. The pundits take is that after seeing what Soto got in $$$ it might be time to cash in if the offer is right.

      I’m sure they tried to extend Tucker multiple times but he was probably one that is set on going to FA.

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  13. I think the Phils were willing to help the Rays on Vasil, at the expense of the division rival Mets.

    The Astros have backed themselves into a corner. The Yankees and others have buckets of cash so Bregman is more expensive for the Astros to re-sign. And Tucker wouldn’t/shouldn’t accept anything less than a vast overpay as he sits one year from free agency.

    It looks as if the Phils are ‘put’ on Bregman and they should be ‘out’ on Tucker.

    A takeaway brought into the spotlight from the last few days is that the Phils should extend Schwarber now.

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  14. On Vasil,I think the Phils were doing the Rays a solid at the expense of their division rival, the Mets.

    The Astros have backed themselves into a corner. The Yankees and others have buckets of cash so the cost to the Astros to re-sign Bregman has gone up. And Tucker shouldn’t/wouldn’t sign an extension now for less than a vast overpay. The Phils appear to be ‘out’ on Bregman and should be ‘out’ on Tucker.

    Extending Schwarber should be a priority now.

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  16. Well, I know the off season tactics change but for us older fans of hot stove action, that was a whole lot of nothing.

    Anyway, anyone interested in free agent lefty Patrick Sandoval (LAA)? He’s recovering from TJ surgery and may not pitch at all in 2025. We’ve seen this movie before. He’s 28. For a win now club, I sat pass.

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  17. Name the players: (Last Three Seasons of Stats) IT MAY BE OBVIOUS

    Player A

    AVG – .280, .274, .280
    OBP – .315, .327, .332
    HR – 13, 20, 15
    SLG – .398, .437, .448

    Fielding
    Range – 87
    Arm Strength – 33 82.4 velo
    OAA (last 3 seasons) – -9, -5, 5

    Player B

    AVG – .259, .262, .260
    OBP – .366, .363, .315
    HR – 23, 25, 26
    SLG – .454, .441, .453

    Fielding
    Range – 91
    Arm Strength – 26, 80.7 velo
    OAA (last 3 years) – 8, 2, 6

    Player C

    AVG – .293, .266, .272
    OBP – .358, .315, .325
    HR – 30, 26, 16
    SLG – .533, .459, .394

    Fielding
    Range – 95
    Arm Strength – 44 84.2 velo
    OAA (last 3 years) – 14, 5, 10

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    1. Bohm, Bregman, and Arenado. Didn’t cheat on that either.

      If you replace Bohm – you do it with Miller, not one of those expensive, aging options. To me, it’s just obvious. Put your resources elsewhere.

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      1. And if you’re trying to win this year, you keep Bohm, and ADD Burnes, Tanner Scott or Hoffman, and Super Utility Ha-Sang Kim.

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        1. Believe they have to be trying to win. The core group will be one year older in 25. Those guys would help. I am not quite sure what direction the Phillies are headed. Topper was pretty strong on Bohm. We realize that can change. Seems most comes back to the outfield and maybe BP now.

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      2. Yep, you got it. I agree. I have entertained the idea of trading for Arenado, but the return would have to include either of or both of Nootbaar / Helsley. Ideally with that trade or in another trade, we would need to shed salary which means that Castellanos is on the way out. If the trade for Arenado does not come to fruition or something similar, you replace Bohm with Kemp and then perhaps Miller if he appears ready….I don’t think he will be ready but you never know. The Phillies certainly know if he is or is close to MLB ready. He could be on the verge of making a huge jump in his progression to becoming one of the top prospects in the game…(Top 10 or better). When I watch him hit, I see the potential there for him to be that type of player. He has a quick and powerful bat. If you look at his build, he is built like a brick shithouse. My money is on him becoming a stud.

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      3. I completely agree. An important measure of a team President/GM is how few ‘past prime’ years does a team pay for. The Phils are paying in the case of Walker, Castellanos and Realmuto. Maybe also Turner. Arguably Nola. Pretty soon Harper. Add Bregman? Arenado? Not I.

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  18. In a potential trade for Arenado, I would also potentially include Marsh. Nootbaar fits the mold of what we need in a hitter. His OBP is consistently .100 points over his average. He does not strikeout much and is slightly too selective at the plate. Additionally, I think that there is much more meat left on the bone. He is 27 and hasn’t been able to stay healthy as he has had minor ailments each year. Admittedly, that could be a sign of things to come. However, if he puts everything together, I think he is an all star. In relation to fielding, I think he is equal to Marsh. Furthermore, he can play CF though not regularly.

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      1. I think the Cardinals would definitely want an outfielder in return as their outfield currently is composed of Burleson in Left or Donovan, Victor Scott or Siani in CF, and Nootbaar in right. Burleson may see a little time at 1B as he is not good defensively. Marsh and Nootbaar have similar contracts as both are free agents in 2028. Marsh will be making about 600k more than Nootbaar this year.

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  19. The Phillies are stuck this year because of some major contracts that are pulling them down(Casty, JT, Walker, Trea), 2 are off the books in a year and Walker will be easier to just eat. We need to be hyper focused on the guys who have potential upside, either like Romano coming off an injury or someone like a Victorino/Werth who did not reach their peak until we landed. Of course alot easier said than done. With the $$$ being spent currently, we are simnply not able to swim in those waters this offseason, even if we are wearing our trunks.

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  20. Trade proposal:

    Phillies get Kyle Tucker (free agent end of 2025) and Ryan Pressly

    Astros get Alec Bohm, Ranger Suarez, Justin Crawford and Mick Abel

    What say y’all?

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    1. It’s interesting. If you had 3 years of control over Tucker, I’d say maybe, but with one year – no, it’s still a big overpay.

      I’m still hoping they sign Ranger to a 3 or 4 year below-market deal. If he pitches the way I think he will they can keep or trade him. We’ll see.

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    2. Here is one I saw on this. It had Bohm and Casty plus either Abel or Caba for Tucker and Pressley. Supposedly Rueben had this idea.

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      1. Don…unless Tucker falls off a cliff in 2025…he will be in Judge’s ballpark when it comes to salary in 2026 and out. I do not think Soto’s salary range, since there is only one Cohen….unless Cohen goes after Tucker as well.

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        1. Romus. Guys on MLB last night were putting Tucker in the top 10 current players. That is pretty good, and I am sure he will get paid well.

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          1. Yes indeed….probably around $40M AAV or so for 10 years. Excel’s Casey Close is not a Scott Boras type…..and does not try to establish new market levels. What Cohen gave to Soto is not indicative of what the market will be……no way is Soto a better player than Judge or Ohtani…younger, but not better.

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      2. Which is why Ruben is no longer a GM – why the heck would Houston do that trade? Casty kills that trade in its tracks. Houston doesn’t want a player like Casty and for a stud like Tucker? No way!

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    3. I don’t think I would move Crawford for Tucker at this time. He’s an absolute beast but there’s no shot you get an extension done. CF is so weak around the league if Crawford can be an everyday guy he’s too close to MLB to trade for a rental. Especially on a team good enough to contend as is.

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  21. I would decline that trade. Ryan Pressly is entering his age 36 season at a salary of 14 million. He will be a free agent at season’s end. Kyle Tucker’s salary is approximately 17 million, and he of course will be a free agent as well. Relievers are volatile commodities, and Pressly is not cheap…and he is on the older side. We would be giving up too much in that trade…in my opinion. Kyle Tucker provides a ton of value though, so I suppose it depends on if you think one year of Tucker is worth giving up two of our best prospects plus two additional guys on our active roster who are no slouches. Plus, keep in mind that you would be increasing our team salary by probably around 15 – 20 million.

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  24. Saw on Youtube a proposed Tucker for Bohm-Abel-Jean Cabrera trade. Best proposal I’ve seen yet for the Phils. But it also discussed a Tucker to the Yankees for Luis Gil plus a prospect trade. If I’m the Astros, I’m taking that. If that trade happens and the Yankees ack off Bregman …..

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    1. I’d be willing to try Bohm-Abel-Castellanos to the Angels for Trout and 75% of his remaining contract. Maybe Perry M would bite on that if he can convince Arte Moreno.

      Then sign Bregman for third.

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      1. that would be awesome… Team USA basically but … that’s a lot of dough … but hey … it ain’t our bank accounts and it’s not like beer instead a fortune at the “Bank”

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      2. That’s a stupid trade for the Angels (if you trade Mike Trout, you have to get rebuilding pieces, not mid-career players – at least if you know what you’re doing), but they specialize in stupid, so who knows?

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    1. Wow Romus ……. you got a good deal of consoling to do when all the Nola haters on here see that he has a higher WAR than Wheeler ……. wouldn’t want to be in your shoes …… LOL!😅

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      2. Skeet…….Nola has only started 9 more games than Wheeler over their careers….and Nola is three years younger.

        And as a Phillie Wheeler has a higher WAR than Roy Halladay’s stint with the Phillies..

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        1. Romus ……… who was the pitcher quite a few years back that we had before the Halladay era, I think…….. came from the AL. Won more than he lost, I think, but led the league in giving up home runs ……. maybe like 27 or 28 one year and maybe gone after 2 years. I always think of that guy when Nola throws 1 too many breaking balls, but can’t remember his name.🤔

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        2. Romus. Not sure on the length of time of each with Phillies but Doc was really good on the frontend. But he started dealing with injuries on the backend of his time. Wheeler has just been really consistent and hopefully can continue to do that for the next few seasons. Nola goes to the mound every 5th day and overall has been really good. If he could just avoid that one bad inning, he seems to have just think what his WAR might be.

          Skeet kind of threw you under the bus. Friends can be that way. LOL

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  27. I haven’t seen a single Bohm rumor that makes the team better. I don’t want Arenado who is obviously over the hill and expensive. I don’t want to sign Bregman who is not the player everything thinks he is and will require a BIG contract. I’m excited to see what Ranger will do on a contract year so I don’t want to trade him. Tucker would likely one year rental and I don’t want to move Crawford or Miller. I certainly don’t want a declining Trout who can’t stay on the field. Let’s just sign Hoffman, one of the LFs out there, and a journeyman SP and call it a day.

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    1. I’d be willing to trade just about anyone for Tucker (minus Painter). It would have to be a trade & sign though. Probably not likely, but I’d welcome it. It fits the cores timeline. Since it’s unlikely, I’d try to pry trout away from the Angels. Get some dead weight contracts gone & roll the dice on him being available for the post season. Resign Hoffman… maybe trade Bohm if you can land a young upcoming SP to pair with painter as a 1B or 2 for when wheeler & Nola drop off

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      1. The price for Tucker is likely to be $45m – $50m AAV for 10-12 years.

        Reality is that the cost of elite FA’s has gone up. We need to be ready to pay that price.

        I am opposed to making this deal unless we are ready to pay this price. If we are ready to pay it, then he is a great fit (besides being another lefty bat).

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        1. will see what they do they rest of this offseason in terms of budget, but I agree, Tucker is a 400mil plus player. I would think castellanos & walkers money could help pay/be allocated for Tucker. Not to mention others. Sounds like they should be gearing up make a play for him next offseason. Now, let’s hope he doesn’t like CHI too much to sign a contract before reaching FA.

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  29. i personally hate giving out 10 yr deals At the way contracts are being given out. There is no way Phillies. Can compete with dodgers Mets, Yankees Boston.. Middleton just doesn’t have the market. That the other teams have, We need to be lucky and find guys like Jason Weth. Get lucky with guys like Romano .if they don’t go to a hard cap. Once every 20 yrs maybe a small market might get lucky. But big markets will dominate championship

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    1. I know we don’t think about it like this, but the Phillies are a big market team and they’ve spent like it. They are routinely in the top 5 and were 4th last year. They can keep up, but no team should spend foolishly.

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      1. Romus they spend like a big market. You think people in philly will spend 50 dollars for a beer and hot dog like L.A? They can’t spend like the other teams. How can you justify paying tucker 40-45 a year. And Bryce. 27?

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        1. Because the cost of players has gone up. They can’t have a bunch of $40-50 million players, but they have one and they will have more down the line. They are big players.

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          1. Contrary to the garbage that Bill Giles tried to sell us for 30 years, the Phillies are team that plays in a big media market, with a big TV contract, and with a stadium that is constantly full or near full and with payrolls that are among the highest in the league and an owner who is eager to push up against the highest luxury taxes? It’s a big market team and behaves as if it is- very big. Why do we keep thinking it’s not?

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            1. Yep, this is why I laugh when people claim that Walker’s salary is preventing the Phillies from signing x player.

              They are a big market team with a payroll that allows them to take risks and carry dead money when needed.

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  30. Romus ……. never mind question earlier ….. Eric Milton 2004 (40) in a season, also, notable Phillies in that category Jamie Moyer Dinger Server of all-time (43)/522 lifetime and the great Robin Robert’s (46)/505, but Bert Blyleven is the season leader with 50 dingers in a year. ……. Rocco did you take time to thank Romus today for getting your pulse rate up early so you can function!😉

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  31. What do we think a return for Suzuki from the Cubs looks like? If they are getting Tucker they will need to offload an OFer.

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      1. I’ll wait i guess to see the return for Tucker. Cause you’d assume the return for Suzuki would be less in quality. I don’t see x2 top 50ish MLB prospects costing this 1 peice.

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    1. Of course they said no, they’re not idiots. It would be a stupid trade for them. Increasing their salary structure to get two guys who are much worse than the guy they are giving away. Duh.

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    2. If your “eye test” says that Bohm is a good defensive player, then you need to go back to the optometrist to get a new prescription. He is a bad MLB defensive player.

      His offensive profile is good, not great. His biggest asset is that he has been really cheap while under a rookie contract. But that is ending soon.

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      1. To give Bohm some credit – he’s improved enormously as a defensive player. His fWAR defensive numbers were very good and his bWAR defensive numbers were average-ish last year – a big improvement from prior years. But not clear if that’s permanent and the bat hasn’t taken the big leap forward that was hoped for. He’s a good player, but he’s not a star right now and most likely, he never will be. Your observation about the source of his value is spot on.

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  34. I hope it’s not true that Dombrowski offered Bohm and Castellanos for Tucker…if I’m the Astros GM, I’m waiting for at least THREE more names…that’s an insult if so. Casty’s contract alone makes it a minus on Houston’s end.

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    1. That really is embarrassing. I can only hope that Bowden was wrong. No way Dombrowski made such a stupid proposal.

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    2. Mark….Crane may not get back what the Padres got from the Yankees for Soto last year….King is a top of the rot. guy and Cease came from a trade of one of the former Yankee prospects to the WSox..

      The Cubs offer, as it appears, is not that much better than the Phillies.

      Crane is going to lose Tucker in 11 months and settled for a draft choice unless he gives in to a team…more than likely a large market team that has a chance of resigning Tucker for the 2026 season and future..

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      1. The Cubs offer is shockingly low. They must really think poorly of Bohm. Basically they took Paredes over Bohm. The Relief Pitcher is nothing special. Cam Smith was their first round pick. Ranked 74th overall. Comparable ranking to Caba.

        So our comparable deal would be Bohm, Caba and maybe Max Lazar (or another RP).

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        1. And so it’s more than likely the Mariners want a WHOLE LOT more than Bohm for one of their SPs. Not looking promising. Bohm stays in Philly and we all pretend it’s baseball shangri-la at CBP.

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      2. Romus. As guys go off the board what if the Phillies end up basically with the same team as the one that ended last season? I believe you said that cannot happen awhile back, but they did win 95 games. Though second half was not good or playoffs.

        Hays is gone. Hoffman and Estevez are still out there but at least likely one does not return. Maybe neither.

        Could they be thinking the young guys are ready to contribute now?

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        1. If we have flamed out and come up with nothing in Santa’s sack, we be in deep deu deu.

          If this configuration was good enough we would have won last year and we didn’t.

          Now we are short RP’s, 3 OF’s, and have made the omission that our 3B is a defensive liability and our SS a butcher …….. is DD working on something because the status quo won’t get it done and who would these young guys be that are going to dive right in the swamp and push this swing and miss conglameration to victory.

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  36. All I want for …..

    1. Extend Schwarber
    2. Re-sign Hoffman
    3. Sign Profar or Teoscar or Santander
    4. Sign Travis Scott or Kirby Yates
    5. Put in an offer for Roki Sasaki

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  37. Paredes is cheaper than Bohm and has an additional year of control over Bohm. That in and of itself is significant. Wesneski is a guy who has started and done so for most if not all of his minor league career. So, Lazar does not compare well to him.

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    1. Paredes seems to be just a bridge for Cam Smith ….who will start at AA it appears this season. He corrected his batting mechanics/approach and now is considered a top prospect.

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  38. The problem here, that we all know, is that we haven’t developed hardly anything in 10+ years.

    Bryce, JT, Trea, Schwarber, Nick, Marsh, Wheeler, Sanchez, Alvarado, Strahm, Hoffman, Walker, Banks, Segura, Soto, Sosa, etc etc etc all came from outside the org.

    All that we developed were Stott, Nola, Bohm, SirAnthony, Ranger, and Rojas. And if my memory serves me correctly, the first 3 were first round picks. Rojas is a no hit CF, Bohm has been the most overrated player in a long time – can’t get to anything and has been a decent hitter but nothing great for a 3B, let alone 1B or DH.

    When you go 10+ years of developing very, very little, it’s inevitable that you make a bad signing and a bad trade or two trying to compensate, until you box yourself into a corner where you can’t make any moves.

    We need fewer expensive free agents now, and more platoon / role player / comeback type players, ie Werth/Victorino of yesterday. I love DD’s career and think he’s been very good for the Phils, but his deadline this year gave us zero help in October. I’m hoping he is waiting out the market for the overpriced, overrated players to clear and he swoops in and picks up the guys that can really help us take that final step.

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    1. why’d you leave off KK 🙂 technically Carrasco, Giles, and I’m sure I’m forgetting others .. but yes. It’s not dodger level development here, but it’s getting much better imo.

      will see how the offseason goes but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phillies are trying to reset the CBT penalties. After all, even the dodgers had to do so. Phillies are able to keep up, get close enough to always be a competitor to the NY & LA markets. Those small market team days are over. I think Middleton messed up a bit when he gave Comcast’s too good a deal to broadcast their games. Looked fair before, but now it’s not enough with the Spike in salaries from ohtani/soto & top tier pitchers Verlander/Wheeler

      they’ll be fine, it’ll be a sneaky offseason. You figure Stott, Bohm,marsh, Ranger, and the 5th spot can all improve on their seasons. Technically realmuto as well. There is room for growth on the team

      Like

  40. I would prefer Bohm to St. Louis along with someone like Marsh for Nootbaar, Arenado, and Helsley. I like Seiya as well though. I don’t think St. Louis is going to trade Nootbaar though…but they may if you take Arenado’s contract. I am not suggesting that is what my offer would be just that those are the pieces on their team that make sense for the Phillies.

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  41. Players are coming off the board. Tucker hurts the most … but the next team id say you could swindle is SD. They have money issues and you could probably get bogerats …Crease is available … but I wonder if Machado could be had?

    Of course, there is always … the Big Fish 🙂

    Fear not, the Braves always seem to slow play FA, and then somehow make great counter moves to all the big player signings

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  42. Braves will be in the picture for sure. if their 2 best players can come back they are considered the favorites. phils will hang in there. and someone mentioned above that “Bohm can’t get to anything”. wrong, he got to his good friends wedding a few months ago. didn’t we see pictures?

    Like

    2. Don……..re-signing Tucker could also have been a problem in 2026, especially since Middleton has already said he ‘needs to do something’ with Harper’s contract now.

      The signing of Walker and Castellanos has painted Dombrowski into a little corner. Unless of course, if Middleton is willing to pay max penalties for next foreseeable years.

      Like

      1. I absolutely hate that Boras/Harper are making the Phillies renegotiate the Harper deal. It was a monster deal at the time and then the market changed. But a deal is a deal. We don’t get to lower the deal if a player gets hurt or under performs. And getting hurt is a real risk with Harper. It is 100% ego driven and will hurt our team. Similar to Embiid’s deal. I get it. They want their money. But then don’t lie to me that you care about winning.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I believe Harper even took less money so we could go out and sign more players to help us win. Was that a lie too? This situation certainly makes us uncomfortable, that’s for sure.

          I also wonder what he’s looking for. Like, if it’s 2 more years at $20M each, meh, no big deal. But if it’s 3/$90M extra, then come on… you should’ve negotiated an opt-out.

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            1. Should these negotiations go south, and a sour taste is left in the mouths of Harper/Boras and the Middleton group…perhaps it’s time to close the “window” of contention and Bryce might be amenable to a trade? Really, as great a presence as he’s been to both the fan base and the clubhouse, this wouldn’t bode well for his legacy in Philadelphia. Just sayin’…

              Like

        2. Agreed……really puts a bad taste in my mouth. IMO, the NFL and the NHL have the appropriate contract stipulations in place. This ‘outperforming the contract’ or now an ‘under-valued signed contract’ is horsebleep.

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          1. Romus. How do you really feel on this? Wondering if Walker or Casty are lining up to redo their deals as well. Hmm.

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          2. Yep, I agree, you wanted a long contract, you got it, signed it, ….. now fulfill it! …….. somebody got more ……… too bad. Maybe you shouldn’t have signed such a contract.

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        3. one of the major reasons Philly was never involved in the Soto discussion. Too much clubhouse drama having him making $20 more per season than Harper, Turner, etc.

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          1. Perhaps Middleton read the market and where it may be going , spurred on by Steve Cohen, and decided to initiate talks with Boras about some way of modifying the contract. After all he was the one who said …”We need to get something done, but when we get it done and how it gets done, it’s not clear to me.”.

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    3. I don’t agree on getting in a bidding war on a rental during the off-season with free agency in play. That has to be one of the 10 cardinal sins for a GM. Up there with hiring your golfing buddy as scouting director.

      Middleton has brought in investors which I have to think was done for a reason. I don’t think the reason was to trim the financial sails in deference to the luxury tax.

      As much as anyone has been able to get out of Dombrowski is the identification of team needs for an OF, depth in the rotation and re-shaping the bullpen.

      That will come at a cost that pales next to the growth in the franchise’s worth, which presumably is what brought in the new investors in the first place.

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      1. what do you have against your golf buddy?

        We need to be patient, DD imo has until the deadline before I get upset. That’s the “final” team the FO is sending into the playoffs.

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  44. Guys. Just thought it had some good points. Agree Walker and Casty contracts are an issue. Sure, it would have been an issue next year, appears most are an issue now.

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      1. Bohm from St. Louis or the area. Anyway ,just pie in the sky stuff, but Bohm and Abel or Chace for Arenado and Hensley. Cards eat 10m or so of Arenado’s salary.

        Then sign Alonso 5 yrs/150m. Alonso plays 1B this year. Harper back to RF or LF bump salary to 30M to or 30.5 to assure he’s highest on the team.

        Next year Schwarber’s gone either Alonso or Harper moves to DH or share duties.

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  46. On the Bryce extension, TOTALLY AGAINST IT! I remember the day Ryan Howard signed his 5 yr, $125m extension 2 years early and then he tore his Achilles literally on the last play of his contract before that extension kicked in. Just imagine what that window could’ve been expanded to minus Ryan Howard and spending that $125M elsewhere?????

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    1. If this was me… and I was a chagillionaire … I’d handle this outside of baseball … throw him some cash outside the contract… so it doesn’t impact the CBT. No way MLB would know either. Harper could roll that into his endorsements. Heck … create an endorsement opportunity for him that pays $X a year. My ethics professor never agreed with me .. but tell me that’s not a “win-win” for everyone?

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        1. Romus … it’s not …. BUT are how they going to prove it? Setup a shell endorsement company … 😂. I bet some player somewhere had this before…. Take a page out of college sports … before they started cracking down on “gifts”. I bet Harper would accept a 20 mil payment into a trust fund set up for his kids. Jim, feel free to relay any of these ideas. No compensation needed 😀just doing my part! (Sarcasm – I’d definitely take some cash 😂)

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  47. I could add a covenant that Harper gets paid $10 M for every Phillies championship parade he participates in during the life of his current contract– provided he suits up for some minimal number of games.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. A’s had 3 players with more WAR in 2024 than Bohm so he wouldn’t be pulling them down. Some people might look for caviar at Friendly’s and come away disappointed. If you look at the A’s payroll, you could see why Bohm would be attractive.

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          1. Next thing we’ll be hearing that in response to the Angels’ interest in Bohm, the Phillies wanted Trout PLUS half his salary paid down…

            Anyway, looking more like the Yankees are closing in on Bregman. If it’s anything close to what he’s asking, they can have him.

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  49. Would it be crazy/stupid to consider Pete Alonso? Move Harper back to the outfield just for a year.. Who would be the better player long term Alonso or Schwarber for DH? Schwarber is coming off one of his best years.. Adding 30 doubles, 35 HR’s 90 RBI 70 walks to the lineup would be intriguing but I think I like Schwarber to much..

    Also I don’t think either player fits exactly what we want but would you want Henandez or Santander? I like Hernandez better hitter, gets on base more, hits LHP much better and his energy swag would be nice to bring to the team.. Just his strike outs are the killer.. If the Dodgers didnt have Othani I thought Hernandez was thier MVP..

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    1. If you get Alonso he’s not hitting 40 homers a year for our biggest rival in the division and providing protection for Soto. Also he’s providing righthanded power behind Harper something the Phillies lacked the last couple of years.

      Like

  50. Maybe we’re just impatient idiots. Yes it feels like we need to shake it up. And I ultimately think we do. But we’ve made the post-season for 3 years in a row with many flaws on this team. Just look at last year…

    We pretty much didn’t have a #5 starter the whole year and Ranger was awful in the second half. Stott was just non-existent the whole year after a great 2023. JT still put up 3-WAR but in only 99 games. We got zero production from CF (AGAIN!!!!). And LF was once again disappointing. With all these flaws, we were seen this year as the most complete team.

    So maybe a small signing of Profar to LF ends up making a pretty good difference in left and center. Maybe Taijuan Walker, now healthy, can just give you typical #5 production (5 ip, 4.50 era). Maybe Castellanos gets more “comfortable” and hits better. Maybe Bohm plays all season at his .280/20/100 pace. Maybe Rojas and Marsh make incremental improvements.

    I don’t know. I have no other way to explain our lack of urgency this offseason. Maybe it really isn’t THAT urgent?

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    1. Urgent. That’s relative to the perceived window of contention this organization has left open. Personally, I don’t see the 2025 squad performing better than the 2024 version. The rest of the division? Eh. Yes, certain of our players may improve while others, veteran player in particular, may regress. Until Painter, Miller, Crawford etc arrive, it may be a patchwork roster Dombrowski leaves for Mattingly. Bohm would have been traded already if his market value was considerable. Tough calls on extending JTR and Schwarber beyond next season. How are the dead weight contracts of Casty and Walker managed? Harper’s contract extension/restructuring talks ought to be an afterthought, frankly. That’s one distraction this team doesn’t need…so yeah, there’s an urgency alright. Just not sure what they should be urgently doing. 2022-2024 was the window in my opinion. And the off season thus far has shown little hope for 2025. The top Phillies prospects, however, do give me some for beyond 2025, along with all the salary potentially coming off the books by 2026.

      Like

      1. If DD signs a LF, I’m good with the FA period. Now, I give him until the trade deadline since it seems his major move is going to come via trade this year/time around. By slowing it up, Phillies can make a better educated guess on what their prospects will be. The catch is, so will their trading partners but holding Crawford till the trade deadline may revel is warts or increase his trade value. The Phillies are at the point that they don’t need the addition for the whole season, they can make the playoffs with deadline upgrades, but they really need the upgrade for the WS push. If the cubs do t ball out.. Tucker would definitely be available again. If the Padres have another subpar year … they could sell off… and maybe Trout finally sees the sinking ship of the Angels and decides it’s time to bounces. A lot can happen between now and the deadline. Phillies should get at least the final wild card with the addition of a 5th starter & LF to this team as currently constructed. The Phillies don’t need to be overwhelming favorites to win the WS. NYY & LAD seem like juggernauts but they are beatable … that said I’d like some significant upgrade by the deadline. Whether it’s 2 BP arms or another bat added to the LF they should get in the FA period

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    2. Andrew, you are an optimist extraordinaire ……….. maybe Neuman Walker will win the Cy Young this year and Rojas will hit lasers into the alleys to the tune of a .285 average., Turner will lead the NL with a .995 fielding average and Casty will stop swinging at ankle high sliders 12″ off the plate ……… and I need to cut back on the amount of Rum in the egg now ……. makes me see visions …… next I’ll think there real!😜

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    1. Actually no, this speaks to the poor quality of the MSN articles which follow a formula suggesting a need to push out 10 articles in an hour. The author cites a baseball insider that some nut on Twitter that no one cares about uses to reinforce his personal frustration., his axe to grind.

      Last off-season the Phils signed Merrifield, struck out in efforts to sign Yamamoto and made no trades.

      They may do no better in efforts to sign Sasaki but I’m confident the Phils will have more to show for this off-season than last year. Last year didn’t get it done.

      It’s been slow for a lot of teams this off-season but the outcome of a horse race isn’t decided at the quarter pole, no matter what enthusiasts might prefer. MSN articles are worth ignoring as no creative work goes into writing them.

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      1. Fighter Flea,

        I completely agree. Most of the msn articles are AI generated or may as well be hive mind BS. Considering the factors for which our ownership and Management account, I think the Phillies are doing what they must do within this competitive window. How many here wish them to go all in and thus shrink the competitive window?

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  52. Are we good enough to be a playoff team? If you answer yes, then you pretty much have an equal shot of being “hot” at the right time and winning the whole thing.

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    1. They are. NL Playoff Teams are PHI,NYM, ATL, MIL, LAD, SD… with AZ & CHI lurking. So as long as you don’t believe they will get overtaken by CHI or AZ… they should. Will see if CHI Pushes forward enough to pass MIL,and if SD has a partial sell off to allow SD to pass them. The true WC is PIT. They may have a better sustained run this year.

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    1. Bohm and Marsh to the A’s for Miller.
    2. Sign Tanner Scott
    3. Trade Walker, Jose Ruiz Rincon, Saltiban, and Rincones Jr. for Arrenado and Ryan Helsley.
    4. Sign Roki Sasaki if at all possible.

    This will give the Phillies the best bullpen in MLB and the best starting rotation in baseball.

    Like

      1. The Phillies lose big games because their offense completely shuts down at times. You can’t pitch any better than Zack Wheeler did in that opening game, but it wasn’t enough because the offense went into a deep freeze. And Nolan Arrenado is not reviving the offense – he’s league average at best right now and is on a downward trajectory.

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        1. Catch,

          I largely agree with your opinion. However, I would not be trading for Arenado with the idea that he is the answer to their offense. I would only trade for him with one of if not both of Nootbaar and Helsley coming with him. It is clear that the Phillies are not keen on spending big money on free agents or trading away the farm which is likely wise. So that largely only leaves creative pathways for change. As you are all aware, our offensive makeup or construct is that of too much swing and miss. Both Arenado and Nootbaar differ from that construct. From a hitting perspective, I view Arenado and Bohm as very similar players. There are some differences, and I do think Bohm has more upside but time is growing short. I think Arenado’s leadership and character would fit in well with this team, and his glove is still well above average. With that being stated, I only trade for him if those other guys come along with him. Helsley is one of the best closers in the game though I admit that reliever performance is very fickle.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Interesting….though might be a little of an over pay for Miller…I’d want a prospect back from them also. For all we know relievers are so volatile and Miller has had arm troubles in the past.

      As for the Cardinals they may want Orion vs Ruiz, if so, then I’d deduct Saltiban or Ricones Jr.

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        1. You would need a whole farm system of prospects to get Miller and Rooker, not that I wouldn’t want them.

          Rooker hit bomb after bomb against the Phillies in a three game series last year in Philly. It’s hard to pick out the longest one. They were all impressive. I don’t think he can play the field though.

          Miller is a pure power pitcher who every team would love to have and he’s young. Your not going to get Miller alone if you don’t include a package of the best prospects. Although I like the Phillies prospects, they don’t have enough to land Miller.

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          1. For Mason Miller and Brent Rooker, I would offer FIVE of the top 3-11 prospects in the Phillies system, after Miller and Painter, beginning with Crawford through Rincones. And Bohm.

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            1. Rooker and Miller were the “DUDES” i thought Dombo would sell the farm for, Miller is scarry in the 9th… doesn’t matter who it is at the plate, they poop their pants.. if his arm is solid and he can produce for years that is highly valuable and a piece they have yet to put in place since idk what Wagner for a bit and Lidge? Rooker for looked like a fit to be your protypical corner would would give you 30+ HR’s for the next 7 years or so, so also highly valuable I would have offered Bohm/Ranger/Casty/Crawford/any prospects not Miller or Painter doubt it would have taken but idk just shopping bohm for miller is sad optics to see if that was the package lol

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            2. Why would A’s want prospects for established stars? They need to generate some interest in their team.

              Also, Bohm can play. Yes he has issues, but right now, I do not see a better, controllable 3B option then Alec.

              Dave needs to find a RH / LF with ‘some’ power to bat 4th behind Bryce and in front of Schwarbs. A reclamation of Jayson Werth would be fantastic.

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  54. Arenado + Helsley and/or Nootbar

    Miller & Rooker

    Sasaki no matter what else happens. I think DD would pivot to Verlander or Max S. On a bloated 1 year deal (considering their age)

    What about … A trade with the Angels for …

    Ward …. And …. O’Hoppe? Ideally, I’d trade Trout & O’Hoppe

    Everyone’s favorite GM seemed to mention this on a recent podcast, thought I’d throw it out there since they obviously come here for talking points 🙂

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    1. are you suggesting they traded O’Hope to the Angels to then bring him back a few years later with the addition they knew he’d come with Trout or some other voodoo magick sorcery

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      1. hold the tomatoes! Im relaying a trade proposal that I believe I heard on the Phillies podcast with Ruben Amaro. I maybe wrong, but I heard them mention Angels & O’Hoppe. I believe it was in relation for the Phillies to take on Trout, they would need a player like O’Hoppe included in the deal. In fairness to Ruben, he mentioned how he loves to throw out unvetted trade proposals now that he’s not the GM 🙂

        I like it. Would you add Trout & O’Hoppe? Do you then Also trade Realmuto, or have O’Hoppe as the backup who plays a lot to reduce Realmuto’s workload? … opens some questions.

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    1. You mean, Patrick Corbin…perhaps the greatest NON-signing of a free agent the Phillies tried (not) to make? His picture on Phan-o-vision a few years ago welcoming him to town? Is he still in baseball?

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        1. 2019!?!?! Romus, that was another lifetime and another world. Thankfully we’ve much more clarity since…😉

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  56. M8 – His lucrative contract with the Nats is finally complete. I have to believe he will get a little money or even just a minor league invite. If he’s not asked to be a full-fledged starter and counted on for only a few innings, I think he gives you more than Allard.

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  57. If the Phils were to make the case for Sasaki, it would be the steal of the off-season. For the price, better than Juan Soto.

    How would they do it? Not from stacks of money, not from being a West Coast team closer to Japan. Not for having a rich history of signing Japanese players.

    The cards are that the Phils are a contending team with a spot open in the rotation. Why close the latter by signing an aging once great starter? Instead, sign Hoffman who can be slotted into different roles on the staff, as needed., including 5th starter if nothing better (Sasaki) pans out.

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  58. I am concerned that Dave D is reading the tea leaves poorly this offseason. Bohm is an average major leaguer. I am also concerned that this 2024 Phillies team is similar in age to the 2011 Phillies team before they fell off hard. I think a major trade needs to happen along with smart free agent signings. I wasn’t panicked until I saw what Tucker went for and what our very sad offer was. Staying pat isn’t going to work. We were .500 for the last half of the year last year and our core isn’t young. The next month will be huge for this team’s future.

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      1. What’s your prognostication, where is the difference maker going to roost! Spare you the name, just the position.

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    1. Vegas might as well handicap the 2025 World Series. Rosters aren’t close to being set.

      It’s good news the Phils didn’t get into a bidding war with the Cubs for Tucker. If he looks as attractive next off-season, they can bid for him as a free agent with some salary coming off the Phils’ books. If he wasn’t offering a home town discount to the Astros, why think the Cubs will have an advantage?

      I think the general direction for the Phils younger, more athletic, cheaper. This to counter a roster which is aging, not that athletic and expensive. Free agency permits filling a hole or two without bucking the trend. A lot of trade proposals made here I think go against the direction the Phils are headed in.

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      1. ‘Rosters are not close to being set.’….virtually every team has close to 90% of their rosters in place…barring injuries. Lets put it this way……of the 8 starting position players and the DH position…..maybe less than handful have one or two pieces missing. As for pitching……starters are virtually all set….as for the BP, some teams will sign another arm or two. Only factor will be the occurrence of injuries…and the number that will occur.

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        1. romus, what lies behind my observation is that there are more unsigned free agents than there are MLB teams, that there are impactful players yet to be signed, that there is likely to be more than one billion dollars in contract money yet to be committed somewhere. There are trades not yet made and at least one significant Japanese player to be signed. Yesterday the Orioles out of nowhere signed a 35 year old Japanese pitcher for their rotation.

          In a month I think you might be able to make the assertion you made with accuracy, but not now. Vegas can fix their line and duffers will act on it. But it’s still close to the vest poker for the next month or so.

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  60. Is Bryce Harper asking for an extension, a raise, or both? If he is asking for an extension…. That has him believing he is still going to be playing well enough to be a major leaguer when he’s 40? 41? I’m assuming he wants to be the Tom Brady of Baseball, in terms of playing days

    if this is the case … is the team thinking they have more time to build a winner? Waiting for Painter, Miller, Crawford, Kemp, and others maybe the best play, then dropping the money bomb to blend 3 groups (FAs, homegrown group 1, home grown group 2) plus resetting the CBT penalties … it might make sense. They are good enough to make the playoffs as is, tweak it at the deadline …

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    1. Tac, Harper’s contract runs through his age 38 season. He would like to play into his 40s. I interpret that as an extension.

      The Pandora’s Box of an extension was initiated by Middleton not Harper or Boras. This was reported in an article by CBS back on October 22, 2022.

      Following the Phillies’ 4-3 victory over the Padres to earn a sport in the World Series for the first time in 13 years, Middleton said he might’ve short changed Harper.

      “I’m thinking that maybe I underpaid him,” Middleton told CBS Philadelphia’s Don Bell during live postgame coverage. “I told him that tonight. I told that to Scott Boras a while ago.”

      And this in a November 21, 2023 article by Phillies Nation’s Tim Kelly.

      Phillies managing partner John Middleton didn’t put things in those terms when asked about the seven-time All-Star’s contractual status after Nola’s press conference Monday, but made clear he envisions Harper remaining part of the organization beyond his 13-year deal, which expires after the 2031 season.

      “So let me put it to you this way — my intention is that Bryce will never play baseball for any other team,” Middleton told Phillies Nation Monday afternoon.

      To make that dream a reality, it sounds as though the Phillies will have to extend the contract of Harper — who told Matt Gelb of The Athletic that he hopes to play “until I’m 45 years old” — beyond its current expiration date.

      Middleton seems aware of that, but also that 2032, Harper’s age-39 season, is a long ways away.

      “Now, he wants to play longer than his contract,” Middleton continued. “So if he’s still gonna feel that way in the long-term, we’re gonna have to address that issue at some point. It’s not as simple as do you address it today or tomorrow or next year or two years from now.

      “But the intention remains the same. I want Bryce to always wear a Phillies uniform until the day he stops wearing a baseball uniform at all,” Middleton said. “And when that happens, I want him to switch into a long-term relationship, like Mike Schmidt or Larry Bowa has had with the team. So I expect Bryce to be a Phillie for decades — long after I’m gone.”

      Like

      1. 110% agree Jim. That comment from Middleton about “underpaid” Harper is seared in my brain, and the catalyst for such discussions. Once I heard of extension talks coming from the Harper camp, I immediately thought of that comment. I guess the next question is.. if Harper wants to play to 45, let’s say even 40… how much longer do they believe his “prime” years are.? If they think it’s to 37… vs 34, maybe they pump the brakes this year, and Harper is good it for a better sustained window. The best plan you could argue would be to let the kids develop, and next offseason be huge with going after Tucker. It’s difficult to tell which way the FO will go sometimes. Before I thought no way they’d take the foot off the pedal but after seeing the impact of CBT penalties, I can see this as a reboot year. Just my opinion. Hoping they can keep going full throttle, just don’t know how realistic that is for long term success.

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        1. In recent memory, there’s really only 1 player who was able to deliver meaningful WAR into his late 30s: David Ortiz. And Ortiz was pretty much a full time DH by age 29.

          Harper can talk that he can play into his 40s, but we’ll see how he looks at 35+. Playing 1B helps (less wear and tear) but he has a violent swing and he goes all out running. Harper is already banged up now at 32. As my friend likes to say, you don’t get healthier as you get older. Middleton can wait and see for Harper’s extension.

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            1. Not only a bad back, but a propensity to stretch the envelope trying to make something happen when it isn’t there too happen …….. recipe for pulled muscles and stretched ligaments and tendons in an aging body I think.

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        3. Tac, Let’s say They extend Harper for what seems like a reasonable 5 years at $100M for his age 38 thru 42 seasons. That would lower his AAV for the remainder of his current contract.

          By then, Harper will have been a DH for maybe 2-3 years? He might be able to extend his career into his 40s as a DH. But his swing is so violent I would be concerned about injury.

          Like

      2. It to me at the onset felt they wanted him to play on into almost that golden era role, ala a Schmidt/Bowa etc and linger around for as long as he wants and they’ll more or less pay him or another thought/idea provide chance at % of team.. down the road.. thing is it’s a lot of cart before the horse with talks of golden era.. dude blows out his arm again and can’t play right from then on, no golden era.. so it’s a lot of posteroring.. Harp realizes he looks underpaid/as he probably is when (who has that handy dandy cost per WAR formula to determne value) is determind and Midds knows it and wants to make good when it’s time but seems Harp getting impatient with that when other $$$’s go flying.. he too knows his arm can go Boom at any moment so they dance but their dance to me, seems to be causing issue with vibe.. Don’t think Harp has said a word since the exit to the muts, i don’t follow his socials too close but a lot of the other guys are up to normal off season stuff while he seems kind of “gone to his room in a tantrum”… whomever mentioned that Soto stuff was onto a bit too… what where they going to do have him making 20m a year more then his old chums Trea/Harp…. ? yeah right talk about a recipe for the tape measuring contest drama to unfold

        not really liking the vibe going into 25 to tell you the truth, the only part i am enjoying is that we still have our prospects and should get to see them develop another year and hopefully make small impacts or at least enjoy some coffee

        Like

  61. Unless JM has all of the sudden run out of stupid money nothing I’ve seen makes more sense in both the short and medium term as a signing of Profar…

    You’ll have another good season. The stands will still be packed, they’ll make the playoffs and I haven’t quite done the complete math but a good chunk of money comes off the books after the next couple of seasons.

    For this season at least to start you need to get Rojas out of the everyday LU and just use him occasionally for Defense and a night off for Marsh.

    And who knows maybe you’ll even see the kid roaming CF before years end at which point you flip Marsh to sure up the BP.

    And if you can’t get Profar you should be able to get Santander. Not my preferred hitter for this LU but at least he does provide some thump to it. Oh and yeah he switch hits too.

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      1. A lot of guys in the MLB make a lot of money not being able to see spin that well. They do so because they stay on the FB almost exclusively and when they get it an area they want it they square it up at a high clip.

        My take on Rojas as a hitter is that he doesn’t command the plate on FBs up/down/in/out and in his approach he worries about covering every pitch as opposed to eliminating his areas of weakness.

        That’s before we even get into his inability to read spin out of the hand. Especially hard sliders which must appear to him as FBs.

        Avg to good hitters refuse to swing at pitches that aren’t in an area of the plate they are looking to attack.

        Exceptional hitters do all the above and can read spin very well.

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        1. Yep……Long and the Phillies tried the correction with him. Last season may not have turned out as well as he expected. Hopefully in 2025 we see something better…..he knows Crawford as on his heals.

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  62. For all those that think that Ranger Suarez will take a deal 1 year before hitting FA, he won’t. He just changed his agent to Scott Boras.

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    1. I don’t mind this one bit..

      1 he is going to want to put up his best numbers ever

      2 if he does, good for us.. ride him like he’s never gone before.. show the market he can push toward 200

      3 see ya later, thank you for your service (if we win it all, thank you for your service you never have to buy a beer in philly again)

      that’s it

      Liked by 1 person

    3. Unfortunately for Ranger….he will be 30 years old during his first year of free agency. Not a big issue, unless he is looking for 7/8 year contract. If he had maintained a better second half of the season in 2024, that could have been a possibility, but teams may be wary. So in 2025 he will have to produce for the entire year. That benefits the Phillies and him as well. I sure hope Boras does not think he can compare Ranger to Fried, and also get 8 years out of a team. Fried is a 23WAR pitcher over 8 years….Ranger is a 13WAR pitcher over 7 years.

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      1. Just looking at this the way Boras will present it. Ranger has 12.9 WAR over the past 4 seasons when he was a starter for 3.5 seasons. He has less innings and thus less wear and tear on his arm than pitchers like Fried. BTW, the lower number of starts and innings is the important stat here, major league teams don’t look at WAR.

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  63. Maybe Luis Castillo is the most realistic target for Bohm? I would assume more would be going to either side (maybe Castellanos to even out money)? You get a Cotham guy on a 3 year deal who should give you 180ish innings and then you can move Ranger for prospects & sign Hernandez or Santander to fill out LF. I think Bohm’s production can be replaced internally if they upgrade LF.

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    1. To add: if I had to package additional prospects with Bohm for Castillo it would be anyone other than Miller/Painter/Crawford. I agree with holding onto those guys.

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      1. Would that trade make us better, let alone the huge financial hits after we have to find a 3b somewhere. I don’t think so. Bellinger just went to the Yanks as a straight salary dump.

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      2. Would that trade make us better, let alone the huge financial hits after we have to find a 3b somewhere. I don’t think so.
        Bellinger just went to the Yanks as a straight salary dump.

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  64. As much as I liked Brandon Marsh, it pains me to say I think he may need to be moved. He has value with his contract control aspect, a good fielder, and a good attitude and locker room guy and at times a clutch bat……but those Ks…over last 1400 PAs K-ing at a 32% clip, with little ISO. But that is with the fact he was limited BAs facing LHPs. He could be moved this off-season in a package deal.

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    1. I agree. He’s not a particularly good fielding center fielder (he’s been below league average as both a LF and CF the past 2 seasons) and his K rate is terrible. He doesn’t have the SLG (HRs) necessary to make his Ks acceptable.

      The irony is that Bohm is on the trading block even though his batting approach is one the Phillies would like others on the team to have. And, after an early positive response to Long, Marsh has regressed to the type of free swinger the Phillies would like to replace but he isn’t being shopped.

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      1. Counter point:
        1. Marsh is an exceptional defensive left fielder. He had a +7 DRS last year in only 684 innings. That is 4th best DRS but the others above him played a lot more in LF. Agreed he is a mediocre CF.

        His splits against LHP were terrible last year. Unplayable. However, his splits the prior year against LHP were fine. Not sure if it is fixable. If not, then he is definitely a platoon. But his hitting against RHP was very good. Last year our team had 4,251 PAs against RHP and 1,915 against LHP. So 2.2 to 1 ratio facing RHP.

        Not saying he doesn’t need to improve against LHP. He definitely does. And agreed his K rate is too high and trending in the wrong direction. But the rest of his game is really good.

        You make a good point on Bohm being the type of hitter they covet. It’s funny how the grass always seems greener on the other hill. But I think this was about his attitude. Not starting him in the playoffs was a big signal imo. I think they don’t believe that he has a winning mentality.

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        1. His DRS doesn’t change the fact that his fielding percentage is below league average. I’ll grant you that his 2023 PCT is based on a small sample as he played mostly CF. But “below league average” means that a fair number of LF had better PCT. Are they all exceptional too? No. Is he getting to more balls than his counterparts? No, his range factor is below league average too.

          Granted, all defensive metrics suck. Even DRS is subjective. Each stadium has a person estimating distance, speed, etc. That’s 30 different subjective opinions across the league.

          Reminds me of how a hometown scorekeeper decides what is an error and what isn’t.

          Anyway, I don’t want to be argumentative. I like Marsh in LF. We can disagree on how very good to exceptional he is. I’m closing this discussion and opening a new discussion if you want to pursue this.

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