The Phillies' 2023-2024 Offseason

[Christopher]

If Ohtani's people are saying Atlanta is in play because his priority is winning a championship, then Middleton needs to consider switching gears.

One thing that I think the Phillies haven't yet fully parlayed is that they are now one of the most desirable destinations in MLB. These guys -- including the overseas players -- all watch the playoffs.

Who wouldn't want to join Harper/Schwarber/Turner/Wheeler? Who wouldn't want to play in Citizens Bank Park when it's rocking like an earthquake.

If now's not the time to go reel in a guy like Yamamoto and sell him on Philadelphia, it will NEVER be time.

[Christopher]

1. I am not on board with signing Hader. It feels like Papelbon 2.0 and I just think relievers are too fungible to give huge long-term money. You might get 2008 Brad Lidge, and you might get 2009 Brad Lidge. With all those tens of millions, the only measure of Hader that would matter would come in October. One inning could make the deal great, one inning could make us tear our hair out and regret the deal forever.

2. That said, if they sign Hader I won't gnash my teeth and judge the move in a vacuum. It's Middleton's money, not mine. I would need to see what other moves -- starting pitching, left field, etc. -- are made before judging the offseason as a whole.

[Christopher]

There are other needs on this team, but the offseason really boils down to one thing. Phillies MUST have one of these guys for 2024:

-- Nola
-- Yamamota
-- Snell

The guys who I view as a notch below that are Gray, Montgomery and Imanaga.

[Christopher]

I can't read the full Jayson Stark article, but some tidbits:

-- Nola is looking for 6/175
-- Phillies lukewarm on Snell
-- Phillies legitimately interested in Yamamoto. Hurdle is not money but convincing a Japanese player to come to Philly

[Christopher]

Between:

-- Dombrowski being mostly uninterested in Hader (they can find a much cheaper good arm to round out the bullpen)
-- Nola's pursuit of a seven-year deal
-- The seeming lack of interest in Snell

I think the Phillies are going to make every effort to spend their biggest lump of Middleton Bucks on Yamamoto this winter. Maybe they don't land him, but I don't think money ($200M + $30M+ posting fee) will be the obstacle. Phillies have to pitch him on Philly, and they have two years of great highlights to get him pumped up.

[jrollin24]

Never would have thought Phillies would go 7 years for Nola. Wow.

[BelmontShore]

Nola gets his number but at 7 years, not the 6 he originally sought.

$24m is a decent enough number for a top of the rotation innings eater. I was ready to move on just to refresh the roster and create a new vibe. But considering who was out there, Snell and Yamamoto, the pickings were slim. I don't see trading for anything of note. Potentially, they could have saved some money, moved Suarez to #2 and sign or trade for a #3. I'm fine with Sanchez being #4 with competition for #5 for Walker from inside the org. Trade Castellanos and sign an OF and some bench bats.

All in all, fine with Nola, I guess.

[Christopher]

Obviously, it's a long, long shot, but it sounds like the Phillies are still IN on Yamamato and are deploying Bryce to serve as their ambassador.

It will be a nice thing to dream about until he signs elsewhere. And it certainly makes sense, as there's not guarantee that Wheeler will remain; he'd be perfectly within his right to enter FA and see the most bonkers money possible.

If nothing else, remaining in on Yamamoto makes the Mets and Yankees have to offer even more. And we can offer something those two teams cannot: the excitement of Red October.

[BelmontShore]

[The Baltimore Orioles are on the verge of signing veteran closer Craig Kimbrel, sources told ESPN's Buster Olney Wednesday.]

Seriously. Thank God.

I can't take another season watching him bent all up over the mound torturing us with him and the pitch clock while hooking sliders 2 feet off the plate.

[Christopher]

I will say this: I couldn't care less who "closes" 80% of the regular season games.
I don't want to blow out Alvarado by making him pitch 75 high-leverage innings in May/June/July. I want him fresh for October.

The mistake with Kimbrel was using him in high-leverage situations in October. But he served a purpose by helping to finish a bunch of games during the summer. Someone needs to handle those workload innings in the summer, in a way that helps them set up the bullpen to be fresh and dominant in October again.