Phillies Discussion (1/13/2026)

Other Stuff

Still no word on the Realmuto front.

I find it curious that there is so much media reporting on a possible deal between the Phillies and Bichette.   And, yet there is nothing on the Phillies pursuit of Realmuto, who has been and remains their top priority this offseason.

This Phillies don’t often miss on this type of signing.  If it comes to fruition there is little chance that another big ticket free agent will be signed.

If the Phillies DO sign Bichette, they’ll still need to acquire some sort of platoon catcher to pair with Marchan or Stubbs.  They’ll likely pursue some sort of salary relief by trading Bohm or Stott, depends where they plan on playing Bichette.

Important Dates – Bold text is used for the dates I’m pretty certain are accurate.  Italics (and a date range) are used for those which I don’t have solid dates.

  • January 15, 2026 (9:00 a.m. ET): Opening of the 2026 international signing period
  • February 11, 2026: Earliest date injured players, pitchers, and catchers may be invited to spring training
  • February 16, 2026: Earliest date all other players may be invited to spring training
  • February 21, 2026: Earliest date players can be required to report to spring training
  • March 26, 2026: Official opening of 2026 season; active rosters reduced to 26 (13 pitchers) by Noon ET
  • July 11, 2026: 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game, Philadelphia PA
  • July 12-13, 2026: MLB First-Year Player Draft, Philadelphia PA (Phillies drop 10 slots)
  • December 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET): MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.

Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently.  (Note that there are many more dates to add from Spring Training through the end of the 2026 season and calendar year.  I will add when I have accurate dates for them.)

Transactions

01/10/2026 – Jersey Shore released RHP Maxwel Hernandez
01/10/2026 – FCL Phillies released 3B Meylin De Leon
01/10/2026 – FCL Phillies released 3B Adrian Garcia
01/10/2026 – FCL Phillies released OF Jorge Julio
01/10/2026 – RHP Deiry Gonzalez assigned to FCL Phillies from DSL Phillies Red
01/10/2026 – C Anderson Araujo assigned to FCL Phillies from DSL Phillies Red
01/10/2026 – SS Romeli Espinosa assigned to FCL Phillies from DSL Phillies White
01/06/2026 – Phillies signed FA C René Pinto to a an MiLB contract
01/06/2026 – C René Pinto assigned to Lehigh Valley
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies Red released RHP Diego Marquez
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies Red released RHP Markos Sanchez
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies Red released 3B Domingo Morla
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies Red released IF Michael Nieto
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released RHP Gustavo De La Cruz
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released RHP Gabriel Martinez
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released LHP Juan Parra
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released RHP Luis Quintero
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released RHP Marco Sipion
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released SS Roiner Cespede
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released SS Rafael Oropeza
01/05/2026 – DSL Phillies White released OF Leonardo Carpio
01/02/2026 – Phillies signed free agent LHP Tucker Davidson to an MiLB contract
01/02/2026 – LHP Tucker Davidson assigned to Lehigh Valley

285 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (1/13/2026)”

  1. Almost feels like a “hey if we can get Bo then yeah sure give JT whatever he wants, we’ll pay whatever tax there is” i mean if you want to win bad enough, eventually the stupid money thing comes back around.. hard to beat the dodgers otherwise… JT knows this…. man

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  2. My take is that JM has spent aggressively and he has nothing to apologize for even if I’ve posted in a critical tone that he should push through the LT.

    But usually in the same sentence I’ve also said there would be no shame in doing a payroll reset. They are still good enough to win the division and compete in the playoffs with the roster they have.

    I would love them to get Bichette today or tomorrow and the next few years having him would be upside but again who knows what a year 6-7-8 would be like.

    Players his age of his caliber get that 8-10 year deal…

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    1. I don’t agree there good enough to win, you lose Ranger, you don’t know what wheeler can do. Your offense is bad, not one good outfielder. John Middleton loves people that believe they can win, with this team

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      1. there is an argument for both, the Phillies being bad or being a top 4 MLB team. Basically it’s “run it back”, resign Realmuto & promote prospects or Sign Bichette, move a few parts, promote prospects and they pan out. Essentially merging two cores together. That team could be ridiculous good. As the 1st core ages out into above average support players, the 2nd core is there to carry the load. It could work beautifully … or it could crap out.

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          1. I guess its possible but I don’t see it falling off that much. Today anyway. The division is till pretty weak as a whole with the Nats and Marlins living in it. Braves meh and then the Mets losing Diaz and Alonso is pretty big.

            We won 96 without Wheeler down the stretch, without Nola pitching very well and without a reliable closer like Duran to start the half.

            I don’t think the FO had to do too much to maintain a 90 win team and if they happen to land Bichette that is a pretty solid team even without JT.

            Every season every team has a bunch of “Ifs”

            I’m not a Phillies fan just for the championships. My joy comes from watching exciting baseball for 9 months and when its not exciting maybe watching a prospect or two come into their own.

            Liked by 1 person

  3. I saw an article yesterday in the Inquirer about Luzardo wanting a long term contract and the Phillies not engaging him. Message to Phillies: Engage!! Now is the time to sign him, not when he finishes 4th in the Cy Young race. They waited too long with Ranger and hope they don’t repeat that mistake with Luzardo, who is just coming into his own. Just saying.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. eh.. idk i don’t think they waited too long with Ranger.. i think his future isn’t as bright as his past.. lot of missed time on the shelf, seems to come in in poor shape each year.. sure he’s a gamer late in the season but his velo is dropping like woah and the league will figure out his junk sooner then later imo.. i’m a sell on spending on ranger

      Liked by 1 person

      1. But even if you disagree on Ranger, I think they should be trying to negotiate a LTC with Luzardo whose value, most likely, will do nothing but go up given his stuff, experience and age (no declining velocity here). They should strike now with him.

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        1. Yeah i could see them wanting another year track record before tossing $ at him but i agree with trying to get him locked up for some years

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          1. It is a risk…..JLu could falter this year or slip a little, then again if he soars…yikes his AAV will also soar. The Phillies at least should begin the conversation…and perhaps they have already started prelim discussions with his agent. Most of the time this is kept secret.

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    2. Similar to how people thought that Nola was going to give the Phillies a discount to sign 1 year from FA, Luzardo will NOT give the Phillies a discount. At age 30/31, Nola got 7/172. Luzardo will be a FA at age 29. I’m thinking he’s going to get something similar to Nola’s contract. People here are ok with that, considering his injury history?

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      1. How do you know Luzardo won’t give the Phillies’ a discount? By the way, this is not just about him giving them a discount, it’s mostly about signing him before his market value explodes which it will if he has the type of year that he is capable of.

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        1. I think they also have that “we screwed the pooch on our Nola deal, lets not do that again” glasses on when dealing with pitching deals atm

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        2. If Nola didn’t give a discount, why would Luzardo? If you were 1 year away from a massive payday, why would you give the Phillies a discount? If the Phillies want to give Luzardo $200M, I’m pretty sure he would sign right now. If the Phillies offered $150M, I’m pretty sure he won’t.

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            1. Agree that if he is represented by Boras, he is much less likely to take a discount or to sign before free agency. Boras always pushes for the max deals, although sometimes the player insists on doing it another way, just as Harper did when he took the 13 years deal without a buyout. But maxing comp is of course the Boras model (and the reason players hire agents).

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            2. There are conflicting facts about who is Luzardo’s agent. BR has Luzardo’s agent being MVP sports group.

              Either way, Luzardo will sign now if it’s close to market value. And if it’s not market value, his agent will probably tell him to wait. If I was Luzardo’s agent, I would tell him to wait (like Aaron Nola).

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            3. Most agents would tell a player in Luzardo’s position to wait. But the player can tell the agent what to do if he disagrees. The players make the decisions, but the agents are very persuasive and typically get their way.

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          2. That said, Luzardo seemed very anxious to negotiate a contract with the Phillies (even going to the press and suggesting that this is what he wants) and if he told Boras to initiate that process, Boras would do it (after telling him at length that he should wait).

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  4. My sense of the Bichette situation is – IF they can sign him, and that is still a very big IF due to competition from other big fish – they will make the requisite trades to free up payroll – getting whatever minor league pitcher they can get for Bohm from Pirates. JM will admit – they have gone this far, pay whatever it takes to sign JT – and we’ll pay the penalty taxes – full speed ahead. You don’t go this far down the road and not pay the last 30 million $.

    And if they can’t sign Bichette – they move on to JT, they will have tried.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah i can see it as a pay both.. spend some money here this year before the new CBA/lockout etc… not sure what exactly the JT hang up is.. guess he wants more years then they’ll give? if it’s a he wants 3 they want 2…. just give him the 3 right?

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      1. Give him the 3rd year? I remember when the Phillies gave Raul Ibanez that 3rd year to sign and that last year was a disaster. Who’s to say that Castellanos didn’t ask for the 5th year in order to sign with the Phillies?

        I would continue to play hardball with JT.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Idk, kind of a bad look for the clubhouse to hard ball the man who ruins his knees for the club and QB’s the game. a good 20% of his paycheck’s value comes from stuff that doesn’t show up on the box score

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            1. sure, but that is the situation they built… they really going to let marchan or stubbs or some other middling catcher man the slot? Even if they got 0.5 WAR more

              to me the 3/45 is just the cost of it.. they are in the midst of it i so the ball rolls forward awhile longer till dudes age out kids come up.. not the time to rock the boat on C slot

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            2. rocco….look what the Cardinals did in 2022 with Yadier-age 35- 3 years -$60M……and it was not a good return on investment. In fact , with ath contract and the Arenado ordeal, they kind of saw their slide to mediocrity start taking place as both players aged..

              Phillies should stiick to their guns on the length and maybe increase the AAV….but not three years.

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          2. Baseball is a business. And the Phillies already gave him $115.5M in his last contract. You can argue why doesn’t Realmuto give the Phillies a discount when he’s already in decline.

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          3. To be fair he was the highest paid catcher in baseball when he signed. Don’t think it’s that bad of a look for the clubhouse/team.

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  6. To the disappointment of many, the last I read is the Phillies offer to JT was for three years, but the AAV is the issue.

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    3. I think this removes the Red Sox from competing with us for Bo. I highly doubt that the Red Sox will give up two monster contracts in one FA year.

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      1. B U T if Boston gets to the WS Ranger will be Hurt by Then. Pitching The Whole Season then the Playoffs. Unless he is on the DL for 2 Months during the Season ; the second half. The truth is Ranger is Great for first half, then wears Down the second half. Good 2 1/2,times through the Lineup. Good scouting and Good hitters take him to Right Field(Right Hand hitters).

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  9. good for ranger.. makes sense he went AL.. less batter looks against him.. might have a stellar 1st year but can’t see it panning out well for the BoSox after.

    kind of shocked he went further “north”, had figured he would take less to not be in the cold weather so long.. wouldn’t be shocked to not see good numbers till June for Ranger up in Bos but haven’t looked at their schedule… lotta cold April/May early June games up that way

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    1. also can’t wait to hear the BoSox fan bitching when his FB velo tops out at 90 and he gets slapped around a few times

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      2. Ranger showing up to ST, out-of-shape and throwing 88-90 – that’s one of the biggest Ranger dangers. LOL.

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        1. But when he’s on and throwing 5 or 6 pitches wherever he wants for strikes. He’s the closest thing you’ll see to Cliff Lee – it’s beautiful.

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  10. When you think about it, Ranger’s ascension from where he started as a prospect to where he is now has been nothing short of astonishing. Ranger was a fairly mildly regarded prospect (number 13 in the 2019 PP readers’ poll – barely more than “”just another guy”) who earned a spot in the Phillies’ bullpen as a middle reliever in 2019 and pitched solidly in that role. In 2021, Ranger became a very effective back end reliever (even though he doesn’t throw especially hard) and was suddenly thrust into a starting role due to injuries. The expectations for him as a starter were non-existent when he began, but as he built up his innings, he continued to pitch better and better to the point where he was often dominant and finished the year with a staggering 5.6 WAR in 106 innings (wow!!!!). Ranger had several half year stretches where he was one of the 3 or 4 best pitchers in baseball. Even though his seasons were often cut short by injury, he was often lights out when it mattered most in the playoffs and high pressure situations. He’s a great pitcher, deserves the contract he got and I’ll miss watching him pitch.

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  11. It would be awesome if the Phillies get Bo, but is anyone else concerned about rotation depth? Wheeler is coming off injury, nola was injured and ineffective last year, and we are not sure what we are going to get from Painter. In the minors there really is only Jean Cabrera on the 40 that is close.

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    1. All teams have depth, most teams won’t have quality depth. The Phillies have Andrew Painter to hold the fort until Zack Wheeler returns. Jean Cabrera was solid at AA and he should get the first call at Lehigh.

      Having Painter and Cabrera as the next starter options is probably top 10 in the league for depth. And that’s not including Gage Wood who will likely be fast tracked if he performs. Spencer Strider made the bigs in the first year after he got drafted, and Gage Wood certainly has the fastball to be on that same track.

      No team has a decent 3rd option if 3 starters go down.

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  13. Moffo – Would you rather have Nola at $24.5M or Ranger at $26M for the next 5 years? I think I know your preference.

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  14. Not sure of the accuracy and validity of the latest Bo rumor.

    “…..agent Scott Boras, presented a revised demand of nine years and $360M — averaging $40M AAV — with full no-trade protection and multiple opt-outs after years four and six. The proposal exceeds the $340M mark previously floated and reflects Bichette’s strong 2025 campaign (.311 average, 22 home runs, 89 RBIs) despite injury interruptions.T he Phillies, who met with Bichette’s representatives for several hours, countered with an eight-year, $310M structure featuring performance bonuses and deferred payments. “

    If true, I like to see the Phillies are getting into the deferred payment structuring

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    1. I saw that as well. I give it as much credibility as my comments 🙂 So not much…

      No way is Bichette worth 40mil in AAV. If he is, it’s going to be a long lockout

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        1. Well.. ill put it this was… if you was giving Bo Bichette 38.75 million …Good luck negotiating with the players union on the next CBA. Soto & Vlad Guerrero Jr got 51aav & 35mil . I don’t think bichette should be getting more than Guerrero but thats me. I see his value between 28-32mil .AAV. Tucker is a 35mil a year player …not Bichette.

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    2. Bichette had 18 HR & 94 RBI’s…..so if they got that wrong then maybe that whole article is trash. I can’t see him getting that rich a contract from us now that the Red Sox are presumed out of the running.

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    1. You’re going to be really disappointed because he’s going to get 7-9 years, at least. Whether that’s smart, is another matter altogether.

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  16. Let me throw out an out of the box idea that I haven’t seen floated…if we sign Bichette, what about trading Stott instead of Bohm.

    Bohm makes $10m vs $5 mil for Stott, but Stott could get us a much better return. Stott is not a FA until 2028. Already had a 4 and 3 war season. Elite defender with position flexibility. Valuable asset.

    Keep Bohm at 3rd this year until we can transition to Miller next year.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. It’s not a bad idea, I think we’re having the trade Stott conversation next year anyway (unless they move Miller to the outfield) but I think you also have to move Edmundo Sosa as well in that scenario.

      Like you state, he’s a valuable asset but is this the peak of his value? He had a real nice second half after some adjustments. Is there more consistent offense ready to be tapped into? Can you move Miller to LF if he hits and one of the outfielders under performs?

      Likewise you have a few alternatives on the trade market (Donovan being the obvious candidate) that could be had for a lower cost.

      For me I’m moving Bohm and I’m attaching a prospect and moving Castellanos or Walker to give myself flexibility for JT if he comes to his senses and takes a reasonable 2 year deal… or even a higher 1 year deal. I know the Phillies haven’t shown an appetite to do that this offseason but they also weren’t in on Bichette until recently. Things can change.

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        1. It’s such a no brainer, essentially trading a reasonable prospect for Bo Bichette. Malpractice to not have it on the table.

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          1. I guess it depends on who the prospect is because, after this year, the Bohm/Castellanos salary issues go away. That said, this does give rise to the significant possibility of a three-way trade where Castellanos goes to team B and Bohm goes to team C and, instead of prospects going to the Phillies, the key prospect in the deal goes from team C to team B and perhaps the Phillies throw in a lottery ticket or perhaps a bit more, but not a top prospect. Heck, that could work!

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            1. In that deal the Phillies probably also eat about $5-10 m of the Castellanos contract. The more they eat, the lesser the prospect they have to trade.

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      1. You can argue about whether he does or does not have negative trade value (I think he has some trade value for sure), but that’s not a joke. Negative trade value exists when the player is not worth what he is projected to be paid. So the idea is as follows – if a player is not even worth what he is being paid, why would you ALSO send a player in return for that player AND pick up his contract? That’s negative trade value and exactly what Nick Castellanos has now (in spades). And that doesn’t mean you can’t trade the player, but doing so will almost always involve the team trading the player picking up some portion of the amount the player will be paid. A perfect example of a player with negative trade value who could be (and was) traded is Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals traded him, but, because he had negative trade value, that was only feasible because they are paying most of his salary.

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        1. And picking up salary is only one way you could make a trade feasible – you could also trade prospects or some combination of salary and prospects.

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    1. Yeah, the Red Sox were looking for a better pitcher than Nola and they got one in Ranger and it just cost them money and a draft pick, not Duran and prospects. Ironically the contract amounts and years for Ranger and Nola were actually almost identical.

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      1. By the way, and I could be completely wrong, but I expect Nola to have a very good bounce-back year this year. Just because he hasn’t become the pitcher we hoped he would be and just because his contract isn’t a bargain doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a heck of a pitcher in his career. Nola will probably finish his career at between 40-50 WAR – that’s a really good player.

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  20. Is today the day we sign Renteria? Has anyone heard of other Latin players the Phillies have been linked to?

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    1. Just for sheets & giggles… Remember when Jim Thome signed a 6 year – 85mil dollar deal with the Phillies? Peanuts in today’s world. Crazy. The CBA negotiations are going to be intense.

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      1. It’s not as much chump change as you think. Inflation-adjusted, Thome’s contract would be about $150 million today (which would make it about a $25 m aav in today’s money). If that contract were signed today, Thome would get at least $180m and most likely a bit more because let’s face it, he was notably better than Schwarber.

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  21. Casty’s cost is a sunk cost so I don’t lose sleep over it but if someone wants him for $4 million with us picking up $16 so be it. If we’re attaching say a Keaton Anthony type player to lower the cost to say $12 million ok.

    But I’m not attaching a player I really like just to save money on that deal. Different I suppose if we’re talking multiple years.

    All of your top payroll teams get stuck carrying guys with AAV no where near the production they are getting out of that player.

    Dodgers for instance gave Chris Taylor a 4/$56 deal with an option for year 5. Last year they just dropped him for his last year after 28 games.

    It happens you just move on and when the player falls off that much you just fill his spot with a young guy out of your system making next to nothing. Difference between the Phillies and the Dodgers is they don’t mope about a mistake sign.

    They gave Pages a shot and he did pretty good for them.

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    1. I think the overall plan since signing Harper …was to have actually already have won the World Series by now (Duhh) Now they have to press…that window is down to a few years, with one being potentially wiped out. When Harper, Turner hit their age 38/40 season.. they are supposed to be there for fanfare, attendance draws during a rebuild/retool time. This should look like a reduced payroll, with giving prospects shot while waiting to sign the next “Bryce Harper”

      The issue is… they currently have 2-4 dead weight contracts in Castellanos & Walker… it’s clearly costing them right now. You can argue Nola & Wheeler are in this boat as well. Yes, if Wheeler is a shell of his former self, you got 42mil tied up in him. I don’t think thats the case, but thats roughly 106mil just peeing into the wind for you. (Trying to keep it PG). You can argue 116mil if Garica doesnt bounce back like Kepler, Whit, Hays. Etc.

      If Middleton wants to extend this teams window, you sign Bichette & Realmuto. Bite the bullet for this year, then hope Painter, Crawford, Miller, Kemp, Wood, and others can give you a “discount” on performance after you pay out the nose in penalties this year. Get the Trophy in 2026-2028.

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Call me crazy (I’ve been called worse) but I can see Castellanos platooning with Marsh in left field. I realize he has been labeled a “bad” teammate now and a detriment to the team but isn’t he still as good as Weston Wilson?

    Managers and players have made peace for things a lot worse than what Thomson and Castellanos encountered. Think about it before you roll your eyes. Call me whatever you want but I say that possibility actually exists.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think the relationship is beyond repair. I thought the exact same thing at one point this winter. A Marsh/Castellanos platoon in LF, with Marsh being a defensive replacement on his off-days would make the most sense. But I just don’t see it at this point.

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  23. Taijuan Walker was almost worth his pay in his first and third years with the Phillies. The second year was terrible. I hope this year works out well for both him and the team. Walker’s contract was not really that big of a mistake. I like Taijuan Walker.

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    1. I think people soured on Walker for a number of reasons.

      1. Zach Eflin, who we believed we couldn’t afford, signed with the Rays for 3/$39M. A short-while later, we signed Walker for double that amount.
      2. Taijuan’s twitter post after not pitching during the 2023 postseason put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
      3. His awful 2024 season.

      His first year, he pretty much reached his ceiling and gave you what you wanted. Second year, just awful. But last year, he filled in admirably. He did what he was asked and always seemed like a good teammate in the dugout whenever the cameras flashed. He ate up some innings for us (albeit at a high price), and pretty much kept us close.

      At this point, Taijuan needs to look good for other teams for 2027. To be an $8-$10M guy, he is going to need to give 130-150 innings of low 4.25 ERA. If that happens, I think we would all take it.

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      1. Walker is a perfectly acceptable 4/5 innings eater on a good team and they will probably use the hell out of him this year, as they should. The problem is that he was paid twice what he was worth, but it’s the last year, so it’s fine to keep him around. He will be useful with Ranger’s departure and if all goes well, he’ll start 25-30 games and not pitch a single inning in the playoffs (I couldn’t be more serious about that).

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  24. I thought signing Walker for that many years and that amount of money was a mistake. I commented on those feelings from the get go. Yet, I really like Walker. He’s a good soldier, an insurance pitcher and he’s an adequate #5 and/or long man out of the pen. What we need to remember about his 2nd year is that he was hurt from the onset of that season in spring training and really never came around.

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    1. The Phillies have an international signing pool of $6,679,200.

      The Phillies’ international signings so far:

      Francisco Renteria, OF, Venezuela ($4 million)
      Juan Parra, SS, Venezuela ($550,000)
      Sebastian Saenz, C, Venezuela
      Samuel Ortiz, LHP, Venezuela
      Justin Burgos, RHP, Dominican Republic ($300,000)
      Yilmar Samudio, RHP, Panama
      Jose Briceño, SS, Venezuela

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      1. If Renteria turns into a first division regular (or, we hope, a star), this is a massive coup. Hopefully, their revamped scouting hit the jackpot with him. Certainly, the reports could hardly be better.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Do you think the roster limits being imposed will change how the team approaches international signings? Does the team spend bigger on a few top-rated players vs. spreading money around on more prospects.

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        1. In a word, “No”. The DSL limits of 35 players per roster has been in effect for years. Stateside roster limits should have no effect on how the Phillies approach the international market. If anything, they have appeared to alter how the Phillies and other teams bring DSL players over in the spring. The Phillies used to bring over a couple handfuls of DSL players for ST to experience the Complex and stateside baseball. Then they were returned to their Dominican complex to get ready for the DSL season. Recent restrictions have limited their ability to do this. I believe the big roadblock is that a DSL player has to be placed on a stateside roster to be brought to the US unless coming over specifically for medical treatment at the stateside complex. Stateside limits have severely restricted their ability to just brings kids over for a taste of the stateside complex.

          None of the above should change how they approach international signings or whether they sign a few top-rated players vs. spreading money around on more prospects. The size of their bonus pool would likely have more influence on that. Their ability to sign a kid like Rentaria would be from their hard work pursuing the kid and his representatives. Hopefully they are able to duplicate these efforts as long as the existing system remains in place.

          Note that if there is some sort of revamped scouting in place it would have had to have been place a few years ago since these kids usually commit 2 to 3 years before their signing class becomes active.

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      3. Also signed their 1st Japanese international player – Alexandre Moreti is an 18-year-old righty with a fastball sitting between 88-89 mph, touching the low 90s.

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          2. “Reports from Japan indicate he can pitch at speeds of 91 mph,” Santiago Tovar wrote for South American sports……BOLAVIP. “With this acquisition, the Phillies may have secured an exceptional Japanese talent who was not previously on the offseason radar. They aim to leverage this addition to make a significant impact in the league and become serious contenders for the World Series title in the next season.”

            If you cannot get them when posted as stars in the NPL…then get them before they enter pro ball in Japan….novel approach.

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    2. His dad Edgar Renteria in 16 years compiled a WAR of 32.4. That’s pretty good stock. His lifetime slash as a 286/343/741 OPS is very respectable.

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      1. He will know what it takes in the grind to get to where he wants to be as a MLB player. Assume they start him at the DSL level and if he does well, then maybe a stateside promo mid summer to the CLW Complex..

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  27. I’ve read somewhere that the Phillies have agreements with 2 of the biggest bonus kids over the next couple years.
    Yancel Rodriguez and Kenny Acuna.
    Maybe Jim can speak on this.

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    1. I saw this:

      From SI.com….July 2025: The Philadelphia Phillies are hoping that Kenny Acuña will be the next great star in the Acuña family.   The Phillies wanted him so much that last year it was  reported that the organization had already agreed to sign Acuña when he is eligible to sign — in 2028. At the time, he was just 12 years old.  Well, he’s 14 now and two years away from being able to sign a deal with the Phillies or any other franchise.   But, earlier this week, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. showed off for fans and scouts at the 14U National Showcase put on by Perfect Game.   The showcase, which was in West Palm Beach, Fla., marked his debut stateside, per the  Scott Lauber and other outlets.    It may seem incredible to have a verbal agreement in place with someone who isn’t eligible to sign for two more years. But his bloodlines are a little bit different.   Two of his older brothers are already in baseball, starting, of course, with Ronald Acuña Jr.  

      Like

  28. Dodgers signing Tucker…..WOW !!!! It’s the Dream Team all over again. How can anyone compete with the way they spend money ?

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  29. The Phillies can not lose Bichette now. I’m all for signing him AND JT at this point. I don’t see how we can go toe to toe with the Dodgers without them both. Hell, it’ll be extremely difficult regardless.

    Like

  31. Also read per Jim Salisbury that Phillies have a 3y/45m offer on the table for JT and that he’s not happy with the aav. For that money and years I’d pivot to Bader.

    Like

  33. So now we have Bellinger and Bichette as the two star hitters left on the market and we have at least 4 teams chasing them – NYM, NYY, Toronto, and the Phils. Bichette’s price just went way up the last few days so even if the Phils interest is real – it’s not happening and if it does, will be a huge overpay.

    So after Bellinger and Bichette go off the board, does JTR’s price actually go up since he’s in the next tier of position players? I think it does and he may end up getting 3 years and north of $50M.

    Opening day lineup Trea, Schwarber, Harper, Garcia, Marsh, Bohm, Stott, Realmuto, Crawford.

    Rotation – Sanchez, Nola, Luzardo, Painter, Walker, with Wheels hopefully ready soon.

    So basically we replaced Bader and Castellanos with Garcia and Crawford. And swapped out 2 studs (Ranger and Cy Wheeler) for 2 question marks (Painter and Wheeler) in the rotation.

    So how is this team better?

    Like

    1. We are DEFINITELY not a better team and that’s why we need Bichette…..it’s not our money….I just want the Phillies to win and use that CRAZY money to get Bichette and JT.

      We are light years behind the Dodgers now and need to close up that gap. We been talking about this for a week and nothing has happened. We heard nothing about the imminent signings of Tucker or Ranger. So I have no idea what’s going on and what’s taking so long. I’m very pessimistic about the signing now so I guess we are running back.

      Definition of insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. The Dodgers win back to back World Series and continue to pay money and add great players. They are not letting a little thing like the luxury tax stop them.

      Does any team have a shot at beating the Dodgers now ? Will Bichette and JT be enough ?

      Like

      1. ”IF” the Philies sign Bichette & Realmuto, i think they do. There is an argument “IF” everything goes right with their prospects IF they didn’t sign Bichette too…but realistically you got 4 Teams who can beat LA. PHI, NYY, & TOR/ Hopefuly NYY get Bellinger back or he signs here if Bichette is resigned by TOR. The last blow would be if DET decided to trade Skubal, the Dodgers likely have the best package to trade for so … yeah they can always make that deadline deal. Thats the real end of their offseason.

        Like

    1. It’s absolutely ridiculous. The sport is broken. Imagine being a die hard fan in Pittsburgh or Denver or Miami or Cincy or Kansas City…

      Liked by 2 people

    2. I think the players union should tell the owners to all be on the same page before negotiating. Small market teams and big market teams have very different ways of doing things and they need to iron that out before approaching the players.

      Oh well. Let’s enjoy whatever baseball we can while we can.

      Liked by 1 person

  35. A lot to say on this Tucker signing but im sure most of you will cover the other topics, I’ll say these 2 thinhgs

    1. It was my understating that Kyle Tucker was a Low key guy. He can’t be this tone deaf. He has to know that this contract was the straw that would break the camels back. He also has to know, even in his world as an athlete, that he’s not worth that money. He is very likely going to be associated with the face that ruined baseball. Imagine being a Reds fan, you got hyped to Sign your hometown hero, Schwarber… and by the end of the offseason you are watching the dodgers sign Kyle Tucker? You know you are a minor league team.
    2. I might be done. Not because the Dodgers are spending wrecklessly, well okay it kind of is… but this may have cemented this core’s fate with no championship. They gotta play the games, but… there is way too much of a chance that the Phillies don’t see a Championship during Harper’s contract now. Crazy.

    There is a line drawn now, everyone against the Dodgers. The only real chance is PHI,NYY,&TOR. So will see who gets Bichette & Bellinger. What a distasteful signing… and the dodgers could still technically trade for Skubal.

    Like

    1. Pay me 60 million when I am worth 30, think I care how people see me? He could care less living in his mansion,

      Like

        1. At the end of the day the Dodgers aren’t playing by a different set of rules they simply built something that is attractive to handful of players.

          The only rule I would change when we get to the next CBA is that every player who wants to play in the MLB should be subject to a draft.

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          1. That is wrong. They are playing by a different set of rules. The Dodgers TV contract pays them $340 mil per year. As a comp, Tampa’s tv contract pays $50 mil per year. It’s apples and oranges. Completely different game.

            Like

            1. Is that a rule in the CBA that you can’t have a TV Contract worth that much? Markets are what they are. Are you a proponent of salary caps? I am not personally.

              Stuart Sternberg bought the Rays in 2005 for $65 Million. He just sold it to Zalupski for $1.7 Billion in September. He did ok and the Rays even with that disparity competed very well winning 4 AL East titles. In 2021 they won 100 Games.

              People think the cap is going to fix things and if that were true explain the NFL or the Cowboys or the Cleveland Browns.

              Its not about the payroll its about who you have running your franchise and Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers are hands down running circles around everyone else.

              The one area you can point to that needs a rule change is Japanese FA’s entering the league from Japan.

              The Cali teams are always going to corner that market. And it will be cyclical meaning whoever is running the best team is going to get the premier Japan talent. ( this should definitely be a rule change in the next CBA)

              Its why Andrew’s signing of Ohtani was brilliant beyond just the player. He had to know all the talent out of Japan to follow would want to play with Shohei.

              Again they are not doing anything contractually that all the other 29 teams aren’t allowed to do. All of the owners are worth billions so they could do these deals if they wanted to do regardless of their TV Contracts.

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      2. Rocco, i hear that.. trust me I do… but … even in a professional athletes warped mind on finances… he has to know. He just batted .266 with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 136 games. Thats not 60mil worth… or rather the 120mil he is truly costing his employer. Now I get it, its Monopoly money but .. we often hear the “feeling the weight of the contract/pressing to hard” I have a feeling he’s going to get boo’d in a lot of stadiums. This dude is going to feel every strikeout, he will in PHI,NY,CHI,SF,SD,TOR,BAL,DET etc. probably even in HOU lol. I’ve always said go get your money … this to me goes outside that boundary. He’s the only player to get “his” money before what is likely a ruling change in the CBA. He’ll always be that face. From what is sounded like, he’s not the personality to have to carry that weight. Will see.

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          1. No easy answer for that… which is why I hate the inflated obscene salary. 40-45mil was nuts for him… but 60mil? What does PHI,NYM,NYY,SF,TOR do now? Do they just let them see how ridiculous the Dodgers are… let them essentially have a three peat.. with an asterick 🙂 or do they give bichette 45mil a year as 3.5 WAR player? Who also has a bum knee.

            Like

    2. Keep in mind, the Tucker contract costs the Dodgers 110% more than what they pay Tucker. So it is roughly a 4/$480 mil contract.

      The Dodger have a tv deal that is $340 mil per year. They simply are playing a different game than other teams.

      I love baseball but I hope they have a lock out and institute a salary cap and floor and revenue sharing. This is just dumb.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I thought I read dodgers tax bill last yr was 375 million? How do you spend between tax and salaries 800 million. Only New York might be able to do that One idea in New bargain do what Europe basketball does, only two Americans on team. Only two Japanese per team

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      2. Cap floor helps the most imo. Keeps fans more engaged in small markets and allows big market teams to erase mistakes. Would be very nice for a team to take Castellanos salary & Walkers salary off the Phillies hand so they could sign a new FA to compete against.

        I also, think they may need contraction at this point. The dead weight teams are just feeder teams now.

        Like

      3. I didn’t even think of the tax amount. I’d like to learn how the league distributes that tax money

        I have always felt that the small market owners love it. They love it all the way to the bank and to their team’s valuations LOL

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  36. Reading Phillies Twitter account left some bread crumbs out for us last night, and with the BIG eagles press conference over I think today is the Phillies day to get the town ready to play ball!

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    1. What were the breadcrumbs? I need some kind of good news after that MLB ending Tucker debacle last night. I agree that it was the last straw for baseball. There will definitely be a lockout that will probably wipe out a whole year of baseball.

      Like

    2. Ha! Had to look … will see. Where he lands this year will determine how much baseball I watch this year 🙂

      Like

  37. I’m taking a couple of lines from a Pink Floyd song here. “Hey, you…..can you help me?” I’m confused with the numbers of Tucker’s contract. It states that he will sign for 4 years @ $240M.

    He gets a signing bonus of $64M up front. He receives $30M in deferred money which is to come. If that money is guaranteed, that brings his AAV down to $36.5M per season.

    He has to play at least 2 years before he can opt out which means he earns $73M over that period of time. Combine that $73M with the $60M bonus and $30M deferred, that adds up to $163M.

    So if Tucker stays for only 2 years and goes back to free agency, he will have received $163M. Does that sound/look correct or am I missing something? Someone on this site, enlighten me.

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  38. I should have written $64M bonus and “adds up to $167M in total received cash” in paragraph 3. See how confused I am!!

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  39. The Mets and free agent infielder Bo Bichette are in agreement on a three-year contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The deal is pending a physical. Bichette is represented by Vayner Sports

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    1. Let’s see how much of that is a signing bonus. Seems like agents are playing the lockout probability and getting their players paid for 2026 and 2027 this season…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It was never happening, it was a convenient arrangement between two parties in need of some help, Bichette got his but I’m afraid JTR has not come down in price so the Phils could get theirs. Now JTR has the Phils in a precarious spot and will get 3 years, $50M+ from somebody if not Philly.

        Dave D is no longer an elite POBO. He was and is a HOFer but sometimes, it’s just over. Another year of watching Bohm, Marsh, Stott, and JTR not be able to protect our top 3 and shrink into October oblivion.

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  43. I bet they now sign the sixty yr old catcher. Who can’t hit I don’t care about Bo. It would have been wasted money. They can’t beat a all-star team. Rather play the kids. But right now. Most teams are just playing to feed the Dodgers, Mets players. Remember when you could go to a game with your kids. And not have to pay a weeks pay? Those days are over.

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    2. rocco…..cheer up……Rocco is coming to Penn State…….Rocco Becht—Becht has flashed the production to be one of the top QBs next year and a top-tier NFL draft prospect. He led Iowa State to 11 wins in 2024, finishing that season with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his career, he has 9,275 passing yards, 499 rushing yards and has accounted for 64 touchdown passes and 19 rushing touchdowns.

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  45. What a bummer. I hope they stick to their guns on JT though, I would not commit 3 years $45 to him. Let him walk even without Bichette. If he wants a higher AAV then I’d give him a 1 year deal at most.

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    1. 3 years, $45-60M with incentives. Our POBO has really done it this time. Goodbye all, I’m outta here, I’ve had enough suffering

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        1. Yeah, very DD – when you get a player coming off a good contract, double down (we don’t call him DD for nothing!) and then sign the aging player to a bad contract. Throw money at the problem in a very non-creative way and hope, beyond hope, that things get better.

          I am not happy about this development but the silver linings are these. First, the one thing that is very hard to quantify is the added value of managing a pitching staff and calling a great game. I do think JT adds quite a bit of legitimate value calling games and running the staff. Second, defensively, even without the game calling, he is around a 2 WAR player – not that far off the value of his contract. Third, he is a very fit and athletic guy. That doesn’t mean I think he’ll hit better (I suspect he is done being league average), but that he might age fine defensively, which might be enough.

          Now they need to start making some moves at the margins – this off season, so far, has involved virtually no vision or creativity – but should this surprise us? I don’t think it should.

          Whenever I think about the Phillies’ moves, I think about the Eagles and ask what would Howie do? The answer here, pretty clearly, is not this.

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  47. Worst case scenario. All we can do is hope for development of Painter, Crawford and Miller or a big bounceback year from Garcia. As it stands now, this is not a better team than last year.

    Liked by 1 person

  49. Evaluating the contract based upon last years WAR for both Bichette and Realmuto, Realmuto is the better contract. Given that he is in decline, it likely will be a worse contract….though not necessarily. Hopefully, he earns the extra 5 million per year as that will likely mean that we did well on the contract. I am frustrated as well, but not overly so given that we get to look forward to seeing Crawford, Miller, and Painter.

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  50. I would still move Bohm and try to upgrade the rotation. Either acquire a 4/5th starter in that deal or use the money to sign Gallen, Verlander, Scherzer, Buehler etc to a 1 year deal. If you get a rotation piece for Bohm (again, back end starter type) then maybe you move off Marsh as well and bring in Bader or can acquire another bat via trade.

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  51. JL26, I agree with you. I’d move Bohm and have Sosa play 3rd with Miller waiting in the wings. A defensively improved Kemp could play there as well. As for Marsh, I think you just roll with him and platoon him with Kemp or an right handed outfield acquisition. Viewing this from a fantasy baseball perspective, our outfield is very weak offensively…Now, from a real life perspective, defensively, we are pretty damn good though Crawford is not regarded as a great centerfielder…hopefully average. We do have Gabriel Rincones who sounds like can come up right away and bash 20 – 30 homers against righties.

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    1. They should completely move Bohm – he has some trade value and his salary is an unnecessary burden and prevents other moves. To me, this is a no brainer.

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  52. Putting aside the Bichette versus Realmuto stuff, the Tucker contract could push the CBA disputes over the edge, much as the Sam Bradford rookie contract shook up the NFL and led to the rookie payscale. If you see what Tucker, a star but by no means a superstar, got paid and what payrolls are for the smaller market MLB teams you see that the system is clearly and seriously broken and it’s hurting the entire sport. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to relegate the Marlins and A’s.

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  53. I don’t believe there will be any more changes to the roster and it wouldn’t surprise me if Casty remained with the team at this point.

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    2. I’m so dejected, I just say keep Casty and platoon him with Marsh… no matter how awful his attitude is. At least he’d be playing for a trade or next year’s contract.

      Dombrowski’s tenure has failed to impress me at this point.

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  54. This is a lot to deal with… in an instance Bichette has become a villain. It’s not that he just went to the Mets, but he basically had a handshake deal from what they are saying on the radio …

    Here is how I hope the team:

    I focus on the FA:

    Bellinger/Bader

    or

    Look on, Marte, Tatis Jr, Corbin Caroll, trade for Pena/Hader, and Buxton. Caminero.

    If not offense… i double down on the pitching, sign Framber Valdez. Ohtani was 1-22 vs the Phillies. For that, I am thankful for JT coming back. Im thinking he had a part in that.

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  55. The 2008 Phillies don’t win the World Series without massive GM creativity. You can’t just acquire all your players via Free Agency by getting the best players. How we acquired and developed Victorino and Werth in particular was how you make a really good team a championship team. This iteration just keeps going after the wrong guys – Hays, Kepler, Kimbrel, Romano, etc. Yes we had Hoffman and obviously Sanchez, but where offensively has this lineup added someone from the margins and they’ve become really good? Bryce, Schwarber, Realmuto, Turner, and Castellanos were all big ticket signings or resignings by DD. Bohm and Stott were 1st round picks. But how many of these guys outside of Schwarber and Sosa have really gotten better over the past 3-4 years on the offensive side?

    Pat Gillick ran a master class putting the final pieces together in ’08 with Eyre, Stairs, Feliz, and Blanton, not to mention the chance he took on Lidge. Even Ruining Tomorrow Jr did a really good job tweaking the great team he inherited to give them more good chances at a ring before he let the barn burn to the ground with all the talent in it.

    I know DD has had a great career and a HOF one at that, but there is very little he’s done here that would warrant a HOF nod in and of itself. He is living off his resume at this point, not what he’s done the past few years.

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    1. I am actually appalled you would give RAJ credit for giving them “more good chances at a ring” and then say DD has done nothing in comparison. RAJ took a World Series winner and made them irrelevant in 3 years. DD inherited a team in purgatory and turned them into annual championship contenders. Obviously not all of his moves have been perfect. But he has done more than pretty much any team outside of the Dodgers to give his team a chance to win it all. There’s nothing he can do about the fact that he’s up against the new New York Yankees.

      The fact that we haven’t won a championship has blinded people to the fact that this team keeps winning more games year over year and that we’ve had two consecutive years of the second best record in baseball. I get it, we all want another parade. But keep in mind we’ve lost to the eventual champions twice (Astros, Dodgers), the runner up (D’backs), and a team on a crazy tear (Mets). Which is basically what happened to the golden era Phillies and everyone seems to recognize that it was just bad luck then.

      As for DD’s moves, he’s actually been pretty great at adding to the margins. You mention Hoffman and Sosa, but neglected to mention Lorenzen, Syndergaard, Alvarado, Marsh, Bader, Banks, Strahm, Luzardo, Sanchez’s extension, and actually getting anything notable for Gregory Soto. The jury is obviously out of his flurry of offseason BP acquisitions this winter. But it’s also not as important as years past because he actually went out and traded for Duran in case we’ve forgotten. And all of this while barely touching the team’s blue chip prospects.

      There have been some disappointing trades and signings, but they haven’t outweighed the good ones. And while his propensity to give players too many years has a good chance of coming back to bite us, he’s also keeping the cupboard stocked to hedge against that.

      Liked by 1 person

  56. Jayson Stark just said on the radio that the Phillies are “very unlikely to deal Alec Bohm now”. So there’s Strike 3 for today’s Phillies news.

    Liked by 1 person

  57. Spitballing but … a lot of fans around the league hate the Dodgers. NYM got jealous and said we can do the same. Okay… Time for its once golden boy to finally step into the spotlight. Send Casty & Walker to LAA for Mike Trout :). Lol Jim’s favorite topic! Have LAA eat all of those contracts, and ship a prospect or two. Trout for 26mil a year in LF or RF. Might as well… everyone else is in the age 32/33 seasons. What’s another one at this point? Run it back with … Team USA

    Like

  58. I’m for keeping Bohm for the same reason I was for keeping Suárez when almost everyone on this board was pushing to trade him: he is entering his walk year. If Bohm wants more than a one or two year deal à la Kepler, he needs to put up monster offensive numbers this year. I’m hoping he does well enough to get a QO just like Suárez.

    Middleton could have topped Mets if he wanted. Not sure what he’ll do with all that money now even with JT. I can’t believe this rotation is set.

    I think we are in for a long work stoppage after 2026. Do contracts freeze during a lockout or could someone on a two year deal thru 2027 be a free agent if it lasts a full season?

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    1. Not to take the board over, but my assumption is that if there is a lockout, the contract year still counts. Players do not get paid however. This is why i believe JT went with a 3 year deal, as he was Apparenlty offered a 2 yr deal with higher AAV. He likely doesn’t want to be back in the market essentially, next year. It’s also why Bichette has an opt out after year 2. So he can essentially go right back in the market if the CBA negotiations benefit him. I believe Tucker has opt outs. Not sure but it’s all crazy.

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    1. Romus I am so mad i can spit. They buckled and gave Realmuto 3 yrs. Only reason I will go to game is to boo him, 35 yrs old made a ton. And still greedy

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  61. So, we added Adolis Garcia and got rid of Ranger Suarez, but it’s otherwise pretty much the same team. Pardon me while I try not to vomit in my mouth. If this is all they’ve got, it’s a pretty pathetic effort to restructure a team that, on offense, desperately needed changes. We’ve seen it time and again- they get KILLED by dominant pitching. They didn’t hang in there against the Mets the year before and they didn’t give the Dodgers a fight last year whereas the Blue Jays did – they are a much more consistent hitting team than the Phillies when the rubber hits the road. And don’t tell me it’s one year – it’s 3 years (they went belly up against Arizona too – don’t forget that). So let’s hope they do something else and the young guys (the really young guys not the worn out “daycare” crew – God I HATE that nickname) develop. But, yeah, so not happy about this.

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    1. Never forget, DD handed out one of the 5 worst contracts in baseball history when he extended the portly almost mid-30s Miguel Cabrera for 8 years for a fortune and got like one and half good seasons from him before he became a human lead balloon in Detroit. Times like this – when he has money to spend – is when DD is often at his worst. Very, very disappointing.

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  62. Like many on this board, my initial reaction to JT’s contract was that it was too much.

    But come to think of it… is it? Normally I would say yes, but look at how the market has shaped up this winter.

    Dylan Cease got 7/$210. The 30 year old with the career 3.88 ERA and exactly two good seasons on his resume.

    Bregman, a 32 year old coming off injury (albeit still a good year overall) got 5/$175. And he supposedly took less so he could have a full NTC.

    We gave Schwarber 5/$150… and then Alsono got 5/$155 immediately after.

    Bo Bichette, the oft-injured, needs to move off SS former Blue Jay was just given 3/126 with opt outs.

    And, of course, Kyle Tucker is now being paid $60M a year. Also with opt outs.

    This free agent market is absolutely insane. In context, JT’s contract is actually much more reasonable than I had thought. He’s undoubtedly the best catcher available and arguably the third best hitter left. Bellinger is currently asking for the moon and very well may get it. Who knows what Eugenio Suarez is going to get. At this point 35M per wouldn’t shock me. So in the scheme of things, I’m actually pretty happy to “only” overpay JT by about 1/$20.

    I know people are unhappy with running it back. But the Phils tried to make changes and the market said, “no.” So we’re paying a premium to keep the guys who helped us win the division. And that’s better than just pocketing the money while getting worse.

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    1. Looks like the Yankees are ready to up the ante on Bellinger…..though his camp wants 7 years……but many are taking the shorter version contracts with opt-outs and deferrals.

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    3. Oh Dan. I know we’ve had our differences but you’re forgetting one thing. JT is already in decline. It was a massive overpay.

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      1. It’s not as massive as Tucker or Bichette.

        Maybe in terms of percentage, but in real life money it pales in comparison. I have no doubt JT will be worth at least 10M per year in defense and pitch calling alone. Can he make up the difference with his declining bat? Probably not. But that’s the free agent tax.

        JT in decline is still better than any other option we had, so like I said, better to pay the premium than pocket the money and just get worse.

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  63. I’m trying to be positive and look for the silver linings after “Black Friday” but I’m not Willie Wonka and I’m there is no way to sugarcoat this……it was an absolute HORRIBLE day to be a fan of the Phillies. With the Eagles are crushing the mood in Philadelphia, DD could have picked up this whole city…..instead he let us all down. I’m actually not looking forward to watching this same ol tired rerun.

    Like

    1. Out of curiosity, would you have even WANTED to beat the Mets’ offer?

      Bichette’s contract is absolutely insane. What they reportedly offered him was reasonable. But I’m not interested in paying 45-50M per for 1-2 years of a good-but-not-elite player.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That Mets contract is absurd and no way would I have done that. My issue is after Bregman signed the Phillies should have went hard after Bichette and met his number that they met last night…..why the delay ? DD let the market play him and lost. Now he panicked and overpaid for JT when no one else was even looking @ him.

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        1. I think yours is a misreading of the way baseball free agent market. The only way to jam a deal down a player’s throat is to vastly overpay.

          There is a cascade effect as the signing of top players sets the market for the next tier. It’s always been that way. Bichette did not have his heart set on playing in Philly; he was set on taking the bag. At no point was he prepared to short circuit the process; whether Phils’ fans like it or not.

          I see no sign Dombrowski panicked on Realmuto. Money not spent on Bichette was going somewhere else. What’s not to like with that? And if the money didn’t land in Realmuto’s pocket, it would have gone somewhere else. On sober reflection, who would want it any other way?

          Like

      2. Actually Castellanos, Walker and Nolas contracts were insane. At least Bichette excelled at baseball.

        Like

        1. Nola has excelled more at baseball than Bichette has. That’s just a fact. Nola’s peak is a Cy Young finalist and top 5 ERA workhorse. He started off his new contract in disastrous fashion, but he had absolutely been worth 25M per year prior to last year. Meanwhile Bichette is a bat-first infielder who has never been in a conversation for MVP. He’s a very good hitter, but not a top 10 hitter. Even in his best years, he’s more like top 20-30. And he’s being paid like a top 3 hitter.

          Castellanos has also excelled at baseball. At least hitting. In fact, his year before signing with us, Casty hit better than Bichette ever has. Obviously his defense takes away a good chunk of his value. But his contract is also less than Bichette’s by a good bit while also not having opt outs (which intrinsically raises the value of the contract in the player’s favor).

          Walker’s contract has always been a head scratcher, I’ll give you that. But the delta between what he’s realistically worth and what he’s actually being paid is still smaller than that of Bichette.

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            1. And funnily, Nola’s 8th season is one of his two best (best by fWAR, second best by bWAR).

              If Bichette follows that trend, it will be hilariously funny (and he’ll put up about 4 WAR and fall slightly further behind Aaron’s pace).

              Like

  64. Bottom line, unless the rules dramatically change, it is going to be impossible for us build a champion through free agency. We simply must draft and develop talent. No other option.

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  65. I’m trying to be positive and look for the silver linings after “Black Friday” but I’m not Willie Wonka and there is no way to sugarcoat this……it was an absolute HORRIBLE day to be a fan of the Phillies. With the Eagles are crushing the mood in Philadelphia, DD could have picked up this whole city…..instead he let us all down. I’m actually not looking forward to watching this same ol tired rerun.

    sorry for posting this twice*

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  67. Well, I will say there still is the physical, and the Mets have a bit of a history there 🙂

    Couldn’t happen to a nicer team or player … here’s wishing them the “best” 🙂

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  68. wondering if Bichette opts out after 2026 season, would the Phillies even talk to his agent?

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    1. imho, No. I think the backslash is pretty severe to warrant that. He does have somewhat of a bum knee, so he is chancing it in 2 ways. Overall money, but also, if he actually likes playing baseball at the professional level, he might not have spot so easily as if would have with a long term deal. That was Bryce’s thinking, he cared more about titles & the HOF imo than the money. Money obviously was a big part, but … there are the other factors as well.

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      1. Bo does get $46M one way or another if he opts out after 2026. And If he triggers that $5MM bonus upon opting out next winter, that’d also be subject to a 110% tax, bringing the Mets’ total bill on Bichette to about $97MM for just one year……ouch. And like you alluded to…he suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his knee in Sep and was hobbled for long while.

        Liked by 1 person

  69. I have no problem with the Phils not offering these ridiculous opt outs, zero benefit to the organization. Btw, I strongly believe that if we signed Bo for 7 years that within 2 a large, vocal group would be wanting to trade him.

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    1. it’s pretty reckless for the Phillies sign a short high value contract to a player like Bichette who… will super obviously bolt to the highest bidder on the 1st opt out … meanwhile we trade away Bohm or Stott. I suppose there are ways to make that work but you really want him on a long term deal, so he doesn’t just bolt and leave you with a void & unpredictability

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  70. Hi guys. Lots of discussion. I have been unable to get on this post till now. Romus and Rocco you guys need to be nice to one another. LOL It does appear the Phillies will look pretty similar to 2025 team. Maybe this time they do get it done somehow. They still have lots of solid pieces in place if they can all perform to their best. I mentioned last Fall after the playoffs that I expected 15 or so guys definitely back. Looks like closer to 20 or so. We knew Ranger was gone an I too wish him well. I like Ranger but Red Sox may have some regrets say in years 4 and 5. I am not sure Phillies can win 96 games again although I believe I saw couple months back that for the last 7 seasons, they have improved their season win total from one year to the next. Anything is possible.

    Indiana in the National Championship game and favored by several. Remember it is Indiana. So, hi again to all. Enjoyed reading all the posts.

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    1. Don……welcome back, and those Hoosiers on their way to making history. Do you think they will lose their coach after Monday to the Rooney’s and Steelers? Latest rumor going around.

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      1. They do have opportunity to be only team ever to go 16-0. We will know in about 30 hours or so. I had heard rumor on Raiders. Have not heard Steelers but he is a Pitt guy. I doubt he ever leaves IU but one knows to never say Never these days. It would not be a money deal. I would say if they won it would have more merit than if they lose. Only my thought.

        In first post today I forgot to mention only surprise I really have is that Strahm is gone and Kerkering still in Philly. I told Ruff I wonder if he will recover from that throw. Philly is known for being and overly forgiving location. That was a really tough deal. Billy Buckner never really did get over his error on that grounder. Hope for the best.

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        1. The irony……..Strahm in defending Kerkering’s miscue and fumble, said pitchers have rarely practiced PFPs……when Dave Dombrowski had to respond and refute that statement …Dombrowski strongly pushed back against these claims made by Strahm regarding a lack of pitcher fielding practice (PFP), stating that the team held “plenty” of these sessions leading into the postseason.  Dombrowski specifically countered Strahm’s implication that the team did not practice fielding enough, suggesting that while the team was working on these skills, “He [Strahm] didn’t do them, but we did them”….well guess what, .writing was on the wall that Strahm was probably on his way out.

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          1. Romus. That is fine to say. Bottom line Kerkering choked and made a play like 12 years old do in travel ball I have seen for last 12 years or so. I am sure they practice. Hopefully they do. It was simple. When he bobbled the ball, his mind went 100% blank. You have a runner at 3B who has a 20- or 30-foot lead, and you have a batter in the box. Who is the easier out in 99 times out of a 100? No fault of Strahm. No fault of DD. No fault of JT who was yelling at him to go to 1B. No fault of any other infielder who may have been saying the same. Kerkering was simply not focused on what to do if the ball was hit back to him. Really it was pretty simple. They made their choice so we will see how it plays out going forward. Teams make good choices. Teams make bad choices. Time will tell. BTW he most likely would have air mailed it to 1B as well. Same result.

            Game day Romus. BTW Cignetti said he is not an NFL coach.

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    2. I’m in Southwest Florida where many retirees and snowbirds are from the Midwest. I’m just now learning who the Hoosiers are as they’ve come out of hiding wearing their IU gear and their flags flying. Being as how there are so few native Floridians we don’t see as many The U displays.

      BTW, I’ll be rooting for IU.

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      1. Thaks Frank. We will know in a few hours Both teams are very good. As usual who makes a play or two and who does not make a couple big mistakes probably wins. Indiana is the epitome of TEAM. So, we will see how it plays out soon.

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  71. wondering. With recent free agent contracts, are the small market teams going to be even more determined to get salary cap. Just seems like the disparity is getting worse.

    I think the possibility of a work stoppage could be as high as 80%.

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    1. 80%? I thought it was 100% for a lockout before the Dodgers signed Tucker.

      There is no doubt that games will be lost in 2027. Now, it’s a matter of whether or not the entire season will be lost.

      With the looming lockout, the Phillies need to very careful not to add prospects to the 40 man unless absolutely necessary. For me, that means the odds of Aidan Miller making his debut in 2026 will be zero.

      Liked by 1 person

  72. As Willie the Philies fan alluded to, the sports agent for Bo Bichette may not even get the phone picked up if he calls in 2027. I seached to see who the agent was, as its reported that Bichette recently changed agents before this deal. I gotta assume it’s not Boras. Not with the relationship he has … or rather SHOULD have with this owner/FO & all the players on the team. I will be shocked if it is Boras… thats gotta make some really bad blood.

    I hope the Phillies players take it as a slight too. Pissed off about it, chip on their shoulders. “If we’re going to win a championship, it’s on us now. There is no Calvary coming”

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  73. Hey Jim, I have a couple good friends on the Phillies . I definitely think the Phillies are going to be fine not signing Bo. Of course we know how great of a player he is. But the Phillies have done so much with who they have already and who’s coming up from the minors. I think they will be competing and contending for a World Series this upcoming year. 

    My name is Michael ‘Buddy’ Reed. I played outfield and was drafted by the Padres in 2016 traded to the Oakland A’s for Jurickson Profar, played for the Dodgers Brewers, and then converted to pitch in 2023 and signed a contract with the Texas Rangers for the 2024 season. This past year I played an independent ball as a late relief guy/closer. I’m 30 about to be 31 in April. As you know the game, an outfielder thats converting to pitch has a very fresh arm. I have been in contact with a few Phillies scouts. I live in Clearwater and just want to leave a comment and share a little bit of my story.

    Thank you and God Bless

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Michael or Buddy, what do you think will happen with all this lockout talk, I keep hearing that it sounds like the entire season will be wiped out. I agree with you on the Phillies, they were so close to beating the Dodgers, if they had a healthy Wheeler and got just a couple more hits at the right time they could have gone all the way imo.

      Anyway good luck to you, hope it works out.

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    2. Thanks for contributing to this site.

      I wish you the best of luck in your baseball career. If you sign with the Phillies, we will root for you. As you know, we’re passionate fans so if we criticize you, don’t take it too seriously!

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  74. Daniel. I agree with you that the Phillies could have won that Dodgers series. My only difference is I think poor pitching decisions were the reason. But I am sure I mentioned that back then.

    Time to move on and hope for the best for the 2026 season. As I mention on my Hoosiers. You need to be good, but some luck and good fortune is also necessary. Maybe the Phillies can get those this season as well.

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  75. Seeing rumors online that the Phils may pivot to Bellinger and I like it.

    He immediately becomes our best OF and hits 4th giving Harper some protection. He hits lefties well despite being a lefty hitter. Low K rate. Good power. Decent walk rate. .800+ OPS. Would be a good upgrade.

    Could we make it happen after signing JT? DD is a competitor. He hates to lose. I am sure that he did not give up after losing Bo. I am in on Cody.

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    2. If they acquire Bader or Bellinger, I think that means they have to trade Marsh to get Crawford every day reps, which they seem committed to. I’m fine with trading Marsh, would be interested to know what kind of return they could get for him.

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    3. ahhh im not getting excited on this again. Just because I can see the Mets doing the same thing, and the Yankees could also do the high dollar short term with the CBA upcoming. The Yankees really can’t lose Bellinger. He was practically their MVP, with respec to Judge. The Yankees losing Bellinger would be the equivalent of losing Schwarber to the Phillies. I don’t see it happening.

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      1. I’m 100% with û, I’m not getting excited or falling for these Bellinger rumors. I like most of û on here is disappointed with this off season. While our bullpen is better, our starting rotation is weaker. On top of that, we all know the hitting on this team has failed us time and time again. It’s a serious weakness that has not been addressed. Despite the addition of Garcia and Crawford, I see the same result as the last several years.

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  76. I am not critical of their refusal to give Bichette (who, remember, is a very good player, but not a great player) that contract. But, so far, this offseason has been a significant failure and let down. Not only is this team (to start the season, in any event), worse than the team that got bounced in the divisional round of the playoffs (again) because they are older and without Suarez, but they didn’t attack their biggest problem, which is their inability to hit good pitching (it amazes me when people say/think the Phillies lost last year because of the pitching – no, they were shut down game after game by the Dodgers – almost all the blame is on the hitters). So, unless something changes, it’s lather, rinse, repeat with essentially the same team, but older with less starting pitching. They’ve got a few months left to improve the situation, but, right now, the offseason is a pretty significant failure and, huge failure in the creativity department. I haven’t been this down on them in quite a while, but they’ve got a little time yet to do something interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Bellinger was a better fit at the start of FA than Bichette imo, so was Tucker. Bellinger was likely more realistic due to his age/$$$ demands vs Tucker. This team loves the oldies! I guess they are looking to replicate SF from a few years back. Will see, but I see a big trade vs a FA signing at his point.

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    2. OOCatch – I feel all this, but I will make a counter argument that I would say the loss of Bichette is helping you overlook:

      To me, the bullpen is better. The SR, could also easily be better with the astericks.

      The defense…is improved. No longer do we have to hold our breath on a flyball hit to RF. The weakest spot is 3B… when it used to be 1B,3B, RF,&LF in 2022.

      As for for the offense… the Big 3 will produce similarly between them. Bichette would’ve been nice, but take the player name out. Essentially youre looking for 190 hits, 20-25hrs .830 OPS. Crawford could get the most of those hits. Not a lot of the homeruns. He will have much more SB, whihc will make up for the Doubles. Then add in the Power from Garica, Kemp, and Hopefuly a pissed off Bohm ready to play for a big contract. I think you can make up for Bichettte… then there maybe the Aidan Miller promotion by the deadline. The good news is the OF was so terrible, it can make up for the expected boost from Bichette, minus the contact. Bonus… if this happens… they can sign a different FA to boost the team. Will see. This team is close to giving me a heart attack, I will admit it. I need the release. They need to win it soon.

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      1. Thanks for replying.

        The bullpen might be a little better, but maybe not – it’s probably a push at worst.

        You’re right that the outfield defense should be better, but the outfield as a whole is likely to only be slightly better and probably not as good as when Bader was there. It’s just instinct, but I think we are really going to miss him.

        The rotation is almost certainly going to be worse (especially to start the year), and perhaps quite a bit worse.

        As for Bohm, I think he is what he is, an average-ish player who you maybe don’t even want (or barely want) on his current deal and who you definitely don’t want on a FA contract.

        On the whole, I stand by my statement that, right now, this team isn’t as good as the team that ended the season and they didn’t tackle its biggest problem, which is what annoys me most because it’s been the same problem for three freaking years – fix it already!! As for Painter, Crawford and Miller – I like them, but who knows what they will bring in year one?

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        1. Alright, let me clarify. The team could be better, and yes it obvious could be worse. I took the devil advocates approach as we are all crapping on a 96-win team. Now… I’ll try to defend the unpopular take (that i dont fully believe will happen but certainly could). What could improve?

          2026- Sanchez improves slightly, Wheeler rebounds with injury behind him, Luzardo takes another steps forward, replaces Ranger, Painter steps onto he scene does very well coming close to Luzardo’s performance, and Nola goes from 6.00 era down to a 4.50, finishes 12-12 or better. Vs 5-10 with a 6+ era. It’s not impossible. Then, there is always the deadline to add a starter.

          Bullpen – full year of Duran, full year of Alvarado over Romano, Strahm i think is due for a bad year but lets say his 2.0 war he repeats, Brad Keller is close enough to Strahm I see a net gain there. Easily better bullpen imo Easier case to make than the SR.

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  77. I wish I understood, how anyone who watches baseball. Would think is team is as good or better? You have two starters who have pitched well. Wheeler is a big question mark. Nola is too. And painter. You lost from lack of consistent offense last yr. Where is it better?

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  78. Rocco. You have to look on the bright side like Romus and Ruff do. Their glasses are always half full rather than half empty. Phillies have improved their season win total now for I think it is 7 years in a row. Last fall when I saw that on MLB one night. Be tough to do this time. It is difficult to see at this moment that the team is better. But they may not be much worse. Duran is going to help the end of game with full season.

    I saw an article today that said Phillies need to do 5 things.

    Add Miller and Painter. Sign Zack Gallen. Sign Eugenio Suarez. Trade for Nico Horner and Jazz Chisholm. Sounds easy. Only kidding. So, I asked Ruff if he could add 2 of the 4 that are not Phillies now who would it be. I really have no idea. But maybe some on here might have thoughts. Does not cost us anything to do these deals.

    BTW. You are now Rocco PP. PSU has Rocco B. Are 2 Rocco’s better than

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    1. Don…I am on board with signing local guy Gallen….though he was QOed so they lose some draft capital I believe and some international monies.

      Suarez….too many swing and misses and defense has trickled down a bit at third.

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      1. No offense, but we need hitting. If the team was going to sign a starting pitcher, they should have just retained Ranger Suarez who is a better pitcher than Gallen and offers a unique look in the rotation. Gallen would be redundant and would result in loss of draft compensation – he’s essentially the same pitcher as Aaron Nola – they pitch alike, they look almost exactly alike (body, face, everything) and they even had the same bad year at the same time. To let Ranger walk and then pay $20 m+ a year for a doppelganger of another pitcher we have and everyone complaints about? No thanks. Hitting, hitting, hitting.

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        1. Pitching and defense do win the championships……..timely hitting-not great or good hitting- as they say is the third ingredient. Phillies’ hitters were shut down by great pitching.

          There is only one player…position player out there now, that would give you hitting AND also prime defense and that would be Bellinger.

          If they cannot get him….go for more pitching or just make a trade and move a position player.

          I want more pitching……too many ‘ifs and buts’ right now going next month into spring training.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I have a hard time saying we were shut down by great pitching. Mets pitching last year was not great. Dodgers bullpen awful. We did nothing against them. Our hitters go cold and it’s contagious. Average pitching can quiet our offense who is full of streaky hitters. Hard to picture this offense stay hot for 3-4 straight series. We know what this team is. Why will it change this year running it back. No excitement for me.

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          2. I got to learn to listen to guys ,like Don and Romus. They have been watching this game since 1940, lot of experience. Seeing guys like DiMaggio. Great Yankee teams they know a lot, I could learn a lot from them

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            2. Hi Romus and Rocco. Good day in Hoosier land. One of the things no one is mentioning is that IU never trailed. That was big. They could not get away but never gave up the lead.

              For me Phillies had those same opportunities last Fall but did give away the leads. And eventually a 3-1 series loss.

              Rocco. Who is DiMaggio? Did he play for Phillies with Romus? Kidding Have a great day guys.

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  79. To me, the bats go cold in the playoffs because there are so many big, multi-year contracts in this lineup that there are no longer consequences if they fail. They strike out, go sit down and console themselves with a quick check on a banking app. And when the big contract guys don’t hit, it puts too much pressure on the call-ups like Kemp to come up huge in clutch moments when they should just be role players setting things up for the big guys. That’s why Bader was such a breath of fresh air. He was getting paid well (though admittedly playing for a new contract) but he still seemed authentically energized to perform in a way the rest of this group of Phillies rarely do.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s just applying a narrative to chaos.

      We’ve got a long list of short term contracts, or young guys playing for their first big one, not showing up in the playoffs.

      Against the Dodgers last year, Marsh, Stott, and Kepler were all ice cold at the plate in addition to Harper, Schwarber, and Casty. (And keep in mind, Schwarber was “playing for a new contract” at this point.)

      But those three big contract guys were on same contract they’ve been for all our postseason exits. And yet, the year before against the Mets, Casty and Harper were mashing. Against the D’Backs, Schwarber went BALLISTIC, and Harper was getting on base at a great clip.

      Our big bats don’t go cold because they don’t care or because they’re thinking about their bank accounts. They go cold because it’s baseball and slumps are more common than streaks.

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    2. Disagree. This usually applies, but I would say not with this group. 2 main reasons: Harper’s culture. He wants players who want to win. He took less money ,and structured his deal in a way to foster such a “Culture” Have you noticed the players contracts? Turner? 27mil. Nola, 26mil… Even Bichette…was at 28.5 mil. They are looking for FA who are willing to stretch out contracts to fit more good players under the payroll. Wheeler & Schwarber are the exceptions. Ultimately they are looking for players to sign for at or less than that money. #2 Harper definetly could’ve gotten more, but he cared about the number of years, for his chance at a HOF career & Championships. I think this group feels to pressure to win, not being complacent

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  80. I’ve said many times I don’t believe in Windows for this team. Maybe for small market teams that don’t spend anywhere near the LT. But the Phillies with their payroll should always be able to put a playoff team on the field if they manage their personnel correctly. Injuries aside but those can happen to any team.

    While I may have gone a different direction than JT or Garcia, JTs offensive bar was pretty low for his standards I have to bet the over on his 699 OPS.

    Baseball gods have a way of working things out so I’m still excited for this season.

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      1. Exactly Romus…

        To each their own perhaps but I don’t understand why some can only find enjoyment in a perceived paper chance at a World Series.

        We have some really good players on this team and some exciting youth on the horizon.

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  81. Further more I sure as heck hope our guys don’t approach the season as the fans do which is to say hey we lost to the Dodgers before we even throw a pitch…

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  82. First of all, go tell the Yankees that pitching and defense wins championships. The Yankees won 27 titles on hitting and defense and competent pitching (same was true with many great teams including the Big Red Machine); bludgeoning their opponents into submission. Now, you do need good pitching and you need balance, but you really need hitting in a big way. Also, it’s interesting to remember that the 2008 Phillies also won on hitting and defense and ONE really dominant pitcher and a good bullpen, but they were absolutely a hit-first team and their # 2 starter (Brett Myers) wasn’t even as good as the #4 starter (Luzardo) on last year’s team.

    Second, I disagree that this Phillies team lost the last three years because their hitters randomly went cold. One year, maybe, two years, less likely, three years – nope, I don’t see that as entirely random. When you watched those games you realized it wasn’t just bad luck or some guys going cold, the Phillies looked overmatched and non-competitive for long stretches that were hideous. So, no, they need more hitting and they need, as someone pointed out, consistent hitting and a better approach at the plate (the biggest joke is when teams say they will improve their discipline – players are who they are, basically, with established players that NEVER happens – Trea Turner won’t wake up one day and walk 80 times in a season – it will never happen). One of the things I loved about Bader was that he seemed to do that very well. I’ll miss him.

    Third, the Phillies are not the Dodgers, they can spend a lot, but they cannot and will not be able to just throw money at ALL of their problems – they need to balance their resources. While it is awesome to have an excellent rotation 4 or 5 guys deep during the season, in the playoffs, at most, you need 4 guys and, especially, 3 studs (starter number 4 will start, at most, one game a series and no games in a 5 game or less series) – this is why the Phillies were willing to let Ranger walk, because they expect to have at least 3 studs by the time they reach the playoffs (Sanchez, Luzardo and Wheeler). Put another way, for the playoffs, a stud hitter in the middle of your line-up is way more valuable than a really good 4th starter – so you allocate your resources differently. I agree with that in concept, but the problem is that the Phillies did not improve their line-up and that bothers me.

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      1. That’s nonsense – see New York Yankees. You need everything, but hitting frequently wins WS championships. You need pitching too, but the reason the main reason the Phillies lost in 2024 and 2025 is that their hitting stunk – plain and simple. The Blue Jays almost won the WS because they were the ONLY team that could hit the Dodgers’ pitching.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. If what you were saying were true, then the 1991-2005 Braves, with three future HOFers in their rotation, would have won multiple championships – nobody every had better starting pitching and they had relievers too – but they didn’t hit when it mattered and only won one championship. Same thing with the great pitching Indians teams of the early 1950s or the great Mets’ pitching teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s. All of the great dynastic teams in baseball history were hitting focused (Yankees, Reds) or just balanced overall teams (neither hitting nor pitching centric), but no weak or mediocre hitting/pitching dominated team ever dominated baseball for even a short period of time. So, even though of course pitching is very important, I totally disagree with you and especially disagree that the Phillies’ biggest problem is lack of pitching.

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        2. Whatever….believe what you must…good pitching will shut down the best hitters. If teams had 5 Skubels in their rotation…..you can have 9 Ohtanis or Judges and they still would not hit them.

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        3. Whatever….believe what you must…good pitching will shut down the best hitters. If teams had 5 Skubels in their rotation…..you can have 9 Ohtanis or Judges and they still would not hit them.

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          1. Yeah, I still don’t agree. Look at some of the best hitters of all time and their post-season records where they are facing the best pitchers in baseball. Albert Pujols – .422/.573/.995; Aaron Judge -.346/.476/.822; Bryce Harper – .390/.596/.986; Ohtani – .390/.550/.940; Freddie Freeman – .365/.488/.853; Mickey Mantle – .421/.557/.977; Barry Bonds – .433/.503/.936; David Ortiz – .404/543/.947.

            So great hitters tend to be great in the postseason even though they tend to be facing great pitching on the other side. Listen, you believe what you believe, even though, objectively, it really isn’t true and your presenting the “what if every pitcher was Paul Skenes” straw man doesn’t change the fact that the great dynasties of all time tend to be hitting dominated teams not pitching dominated teams.

            So, no, the Phillies don’t mostly need another great fourth starter (sure, it’s a nice luxury, but doesn’t shore up their biggest weakness), they need someone who can hit better in the middle of the line-up.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. Yes, and as good as the 2008 team hit, they went something like 2 for 39 with RISP before finally bludgeoning the Rays in game 4 (0-14, 1-15, 1-5, and 0-5 thru a couple innings in game 4). Streaks and cold spells happen even to good hitting teams.

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  83. is it possible or even legal to incentivize postseason success in a hitter’s contract? Actual hits and ops and wins in the postseason equals more money?

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    1. I don’t know why you’re obsessed with this notion that our hitters are only motivated by money. But they are already monetarily incentivized to do well in the playoffs.

      The difference between what the Phillies took in postseason money and what the Brewers took (for winning one extra series) is about $11M. The Dodgers, for winning the WS, got about $42M more.

      The organization decides how to split that money up, but that’s plenty of incentive if you’re just after more money. And the Phillies would be absolutely happy to write a check for a World Series MVP.

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      1. I appreciate the pushback because my opinion is based solely on body language and how the big contract hitters react to a disappointing at bat in a clutch moment in the postseason. The bigger the paycheck, the less they seem to be bothered. I’m sure many will chalk it up to maturity, but if I knew I was guaranteed to get $20 million a year for the next 11 years whether I got that big hit or whether I struck out, I’d be pretty mature about hitting .130 in the postseason too.

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        1. It’s a very human thing to look for a meaning or patterns in everything, even things that can’t be explained. It’s so ingrained into us that we even recognize two dots and a curved line as a, “face” [ 🙂 ]. Fun fact: that tendency is called, “pareidolia.”

          The danger is in letting that reaction form our concrete perceptions. But as long as you keep questioning it and are willing to accept proof to the contrary, it’s fine to at least keep looking for potential connections that may or may not actually exist.

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  84. I think what really hurts us is the lack of homegrown talent. It has certainly felt to me that our prospects are best used as trade capital. Sixto, O’Hoppe, Ben Brown, Starlyn, Abel, Tait. Perfect examples of the kind of pieces we draft and develop.

    Nola has been our best homegrown piece since Cole Hamels. Since? Maikel Franco? Bust. Bohm. Not good. Stott? What is he? He’s not looking like a future batting title winner or Chase Utley 2.0.

    I do have some hope for Miller. Crawford? Things need to go right. Painter? Who knows. Doesn’t feel quite like the slam dunk it did 3 years ago.

    So I guess my question is, how do we hire the right people to identify future talent? Or does it ebb and flow? Or am I just not looking deep enough into this because maybe we are just about average with other teams?

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    1. There are some teams who draft and develop better than others (Houston, Atlanta) but in general, the Phillies are just about average or slightly below average. For example, the Blue Jays were 2 outs away from winning the WS, but who are the ‘stars’ that they have developed? It’s Vlad Jr and Bichette. Kirk has been decent and too soon to tell on Barger. Yesavage has come out of nowhere but I don’t think anybody is saying that he’s a future ace like Skenes.

      There’s no doubt that in order to win, you need some measure of homegrown talent. But you also need FA, trades, some reclamation projects, and a lot of luck in order to win.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Point taken, but you left out Ranger. Best pitching talent since Nola.. technically you probably could argue Sanchez since he didn’t take off until after he was traded to the Phillies.Whether you count him or not, the point is … its too few & far between.

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      1. The Phillies didn’t sign Sanchez as an Int’l FA, but they sure as heck developed him and they couldn’t possibly have done a better job. He’s a Phillies farm success as far as I’m concerned. So, with Nola, Sanchez and Suarez, they developed three mid/top rotation pitchers over a decade. That’s actually quite good (especially when you consider that the only mid-upper rotation starters they drafted/signed and developed from the early 80s to the mid 2010s were Cole Hamels and Randy Wolf (and Brett Myers, if you squint really hard), although the depth below that could have been better.

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  85. Let’s talk about the OF. Last year we had Marsh, Kepler, Kemp, Bader, Wilson and Castellanos. We have/or plan to subtract Castellanos, Bader, Kepler, and Wilson. We’ve added Garcia and Crawford. How is it possible that every single year this issue is never addressed in the offseason? I mean maybe Garcia turns out to be like 2017 Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp is the next Jasyson Werth and Justin Crawford is the next Shane Victorino and we’ll all be really happy come October, but it just seems like this OF has the potential for another disaster.

    Let’s say for some reason Crawford doesn’t stick next season, or if Garcia gets injured. What is the backup plan with depth for a team trying to win a title? Rojas? Teaching Sosa to play LF? Moving Bryce back to the OF? These are not ideal or good options.

    To me, this whole mess comes back to what v1again said maybe 2 days ago – you can’t compete in this new landscape without developing your own players at least to some degree. Realmuto? a trade acquisition based heavily off of us giving up a pitching prospect that turned out to be nothing plus Alfaro who was a trade acquisition himself. Point being, no position player was drafted and developed to get us JTR. Bryce, Nick, Kyle, Trea, and Adolis? All free agents. Bohm and Stott were drafted and developed but both were first-round picks that I think we can all agree we hoped for more out of both of them at this point for where they were drafted. Marsh – ok we drafted and developed O’Hoppe to get him.

    But seriously, when DD took over the story was 6 years ago – the previous regime sucked and did nothing to develop the farm during a total rebuild and hot mess of 8+ years, but now we’re going to rebuild the farm. Here we are 6 years later and we are out trying to buy hitters in a crazy free agent market because we have not developed enough homegrown talent. We have developed two first-round picks into quite honestly decent players who should be batting maybe 7th and 8th on a championship quality team. Maybe Crawford, Miller, Rincones, and Escobar are the next Victorino, Utley, Burrell, and Rollins and then we’ll all be real happy and we will certainly be hosting multiple parades if that happens, but it’s more likely out of those 4 we get a Victorino but also a Ron Jones, and maybe a Galvis but also a Rojas.

    How does this organization just not get any better at drafting and developing hitters after all these decades? I know it takes time to turnaround a mess like DD inherited but I think we can all agree after 5-6 years this has not been good enough.

    Lastly, on a different note, maybe the least talked about element of Ranger leaving, is how much we are going to miss his October performance. The guy could start, he could close, he could do anything and perform at an even higher level. I’m not saying we should’ve paid him and brought him back, or even that we should’ve extended him sooner, but just to point out he may have been our best October arm over the past 4 years not named Zack Wheeler.

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    1. I get why they didn’t sign Ranger, but I loved watching him and he’s really a fantastic pitcher. But if you don’t sign Ranger, then you really have to sign Luzardo. If they were to lose both, that would really put them behind the 8-ball – TOR pitchers (and both frequently pitching like a 1 or a 2) don’t grow on trees.

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    2. You gotta wonder if part of the OF fix, was moving one of the current INF to the OF. Maybe not this year, but certainly after the Lockout. Bo probably was a candaitre for LF at that point if not Turner.

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  87. Encouraging news on Wheeler:

    Phillies manager Thomson said Tuesday, the veteran righthander is tossing from 90 feet on flat ground and gradually ramping up his workload …..”He’s doing very well,” Thomson told the media during a Zoom call. “Last week was a very heavy workload for him. I believe he’s going to come in again on Thursday and throw again, but yeah, no timetable. But so far, the reports have been good.”

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    1. Romus, that is the key to the Phillies season. If he comes back by May or June the way he was before, this will be a very good team. Wheeler (if he is like he was), Sanchez, Luzardo are as good a top of the rotation as anyone. And I’d bet Nola is a lot better in 2026 than he was in 2025, and will turn out to be a solid 4th starter. Now, if Wheeler doesn’t come back dominant . . .

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  89. Luis Robert to the Muts for Acuna and what seems to be a lotto ticket pitcher. Seems like DD will just continue to sit on his hands while the Mets make moves that could actually move the needle.

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    1. So, Robert is a needle mover? Maybe look at his production the past two seasons. His offense is well below average, and his defense has been meh (DRS total of one the past two seasons).

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    2. Apparently the Mets POBO was not “content with his club” and continues to work to improve his club

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