5 things the Phillies should do at the Winter Meetings

The MLB Hot Stove is finally ready to start heating up.

In one week, every front office in baseball (yes, even the Marlins and Pirates will probably attend!) will head to Orlando for the start of the Winter Meetings, MLB’s annual shopping bazaar. Free agents will sign. Trades will be consummated. Scott Boras will hold a couple very weird press conferences. Executives will do a lot of day drinking.

And yes, Dave Dombrowski, general manager Preston Mattingly and the rest of the front office will likely spring into action.

They will not finish an entire off-season’s worth of work, but we should expect some action over the next two weeks as the team tries to re-tool its roster a bit following another disappointing finish to an otherwise excellent season. Two years ago, just ahead of the ‘23 season, Dombrowski signed Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm to free agent deals. It’s believed Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto will make a decision on their futures by the end of next week, and the Phils are said to be active in the trade market, too.

Here are five things I’d like to see the Phillies either finish or make substantial progress on during next week’s Winter Meetings.

Sign Kyle Schwarber or Cody Bellinger

Re-signing Schwarber sounds like the team’s top priority, as it should be. The NL MVP runner-up’s power and leadership in the clubhouse would be virtually impossible to replace should he leave. My predicted contract for Schwarber is six years and $180 million ($30 million AAV). Is that a lot to pay for a DH-only 32-year-old? Yep. And if another team is willing to go higher than that, the Phils should thank Schwarber for his years of service and move onto other options.

Those would certainly include Kyle Tucker, who some MLB execs predict could snag a contract north of $400 million. I don’t think he’ll get that much, but he’ll certainly get more than Bryce Harper or Turner are making, and I don’t think Turner is good enough to warrant that kind of deal. Cody Bellinger can play center field and stands to earn roughly half of what Tucker might pull down. If they miss out on Schwarber, the Phillies should pivot to one of these two options immediately.

Sign J.T. Realmuto

Reports indicate Realmuto is seeking a two year deal, welcome news to a franchise probably reluctant to go longer than that. However, it’s reasonable to assume there are other teams who would love nothing more than to hand Realmuto a two-year contract. It most likely will come down to where Realmuto prefers to spend the last two years of his prime, someplace comfortable like Philadelphia, or a new environment like San Francisco or Boston.

My prediction is a two-year, $32 million deal ($16 million AAV), which is, again, a bit more than you’d like to pay, but in free agency, beggars can’t be choosy.

Trade for Ketel Marte, Byron Buxton, Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu

We’re all dying for the Phils to make a big trade to add another bat and any one of these players would fit the bill. Now, this desire comes with a caveat. For me, Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller remain untouchable, unless you’re talking about Tarik Skubal coming to Philadelphia.

Ideally, you’d prefer a right-handed bat, which makes Marte and Buxton the perfect options. But could they outbid other teams with a deal headlined by Justin Crawford, either Bryson Stott or Alec Bohm, and a top prospect pitcher not named Painter? It’s more likely one of the left-handed Boston outfielders, Duran or Abreu, could be had for that kind of price, but you’d also have to be very careful adding even more left-handers to an already lefty-heavy lineup.

That said, with regards to the outfield, there aren’t a lot of options out there. If they want to add offense, it may have to come from the left-hand side of the plate.

Make Nick Castellanos Go Away

As we discussed on the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, powered by WHYY, removing Castellanos from the roster is a necessity this off-season, especially because of his food takes.

Dangerous stuff, kids.

But seriously, it is necessary for both parties to move forward, so a trade from the Phils to someplace like Pittsburgh, Miami or Kansas City needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Sign a Bridge Reliever to Duran

Jhoan Duran was not perfect last year, despite our initial belief upon his arrival that he was. But he was still one of the best closers in baseball, and it’s clear the guys trying to get the ball to him for the 9th inning weren’t quite good enough. It’s likely we’ll see one of the team’s lefty relievers — Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado or Tanner Banks — dealt this winter, and the Phils really need a right-handed gas-throwing, bat-missing reliever to handle the 7th and/or 8th innings.

There are some good names out there. The Mets just signed Devin Williams to a three-year deal, so Edwin Diaz could end up elsewhere, although New York is reportedly not closing the door on his return. Robert Suarez is likely looking for a closer’s job, but sometimes money talks. Side-arming Tyler Rogers would be a great fit in Philadelphia as would Pete Fairbanks.

The Phillies aren’t going to be able to get all this done, and there is more they could do. Dealing Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh or Alec Bohm could shake up the roster in the same way the Mets did when they sent Brandon Nimmo packing to Texas. Harrison Bader’s market will be one they watch closely. And Phils fans would love to see them land one of the Japanese superstars, either left-handed masher Munetaka Murakami, right-handed power hitter Kazuma Okamoto, and the Japanese starter who says he actually wants to beat the Dodgers, not join them, Tatsuya Imai.

And there’s also the possibility of something coming totally out of left field. You just never know at those frisky Winter Meetings.