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Phillies offseason chat
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Mark P
2:00
Happy St. Chatrick's Day!  Already a good number of questions in the queue, so we'll start in a minute
Kevin
2:01
The Phillies are operating at a payroll of unprecedented heights (for their standards, only second year ever above even the 1st CBT tier). Will their recent spending prevent them from being able to retain Nola? They already have seven guys making 18 mil or more. Plus a system where the top 3 prospects are all SP who are close.
Mark P
2:03
I don't think there are any reservations over extending Nola, and it may be the Phillies prefer extending him than an older pitcher in Wheeler.

Long-term, Nola might essentially just take Wheeler's "spot" in terms of the highly-paid ace, with the team's idea being that Painter, Abel, Falter, McGarry will provide inexpensive help at the back end of the rotation.
Or, since the Phillies aren't shy about spending, maybe they'll even look into extending Wheeler as well.
John
2:03
If Hall is absolutely mashing when Harper is healthy, what happens?
Mark P
2:04
File this one under G for "good problem to have."

Harper will theoretically be able to play in the outfield by later in the season, so Hall might losing some playing time while Harper is still DH-only.  Then, if and when Harper is back in right field, Hall can resume crushing it from the DH spot in your scenario.
2:05
Also, just because Dave Dombrowski is an aggressive exec.....it wouldn't be a total shock if the Phils sold high on Hall as a big trade chip at the deadline, to address a need elsewhere
Neckbeard
2:06
Do you think the Phillies' defense will be better? I'm sure having Marsh, Turner, and Stott for the entire year will help but all the corner positions are still manned by awful defenders, so I'm not sure.
Mark P
2:06
The DH spot is seemingly free until Harper is back, so Castellanos and Schwarber could get some looks as a designated hitter whenever Hall isn't playing
Biz bro
2:06
Do you think the Phils would be better off spreading around the money they gave Trea? Or was going all in at SS the right move?
Mark P
2:08
The Phils already had a lot of positions spoken for, so there weren't a ton of pressing needs to spread the money around to.  Plus, if you're going to make a big splurge, solidifying shortstop with a proven star like Turner is a pretty solid idea.
Ed-C
2:08
Happy St. Patricks day Mark.    I just have this uneasy feeling we do not have enough pitching - starters or relief.   I know a few teams had serious injuries already.    Any chance of upgrading pitchers vs IF with the Dodgers or Rockies (anyone but the Mets)?
Mark P
2:10
This makes it probably 30 out of 30 teams that aren't wild about their pitching depth.  Obviously the Phillies have some injury problems at the moment, but the good (good-ish?) news is that none of the injuries seem too serious yet.  Shutdowns aren't good, of course, but it's not like Philly has lost any of their pitchers for the season or anything.
2:11
Re: an infield depth trade.  Probably not an option until the Phillies are sure that Stott can handle an everyday role. If he struggles and 2B turns into more of a timeshare with Sosa and Harrison involved, suddenly the Phils' depth isn't as, uh, deep
hannah
2:12
is Hall all but guaranteed a roster spot to start the season, or would the team rather go with Kingrey/Cave/Clemens to have more positional flexibility?
Mark P
2:13
My guess Clemens, Kingery, and Hall are all having nice springs, but my guess is that only one of Kingery or Clemens makes the roster.
If even that, since Sosa and Harrison are already on hand as infield utility types
Friend of the Phanatic
2:14
While unlikely, wouldn’t it make sense for the Phillies to try and sign Painter to a long term extension now? Given his inexperience and health risk he might be willing to take a “cheap” deal to lock up his financial future and the Phillies could potentially get a steal for years to come without risking a ton of money.
Mark P
2:16
These days, probably just about every front office routinely checks in on their blue-chip prospects to at least test the waters about an early extension.
2:17
Whoops, hit the send button too soon
2:18
As I was saying about Painter, the fact that Scott Boras is his agent might lessen the chances of an early-career or pre-MLB extension.  Not that Boras clients haven't signed extensions before, but such a potentially team-friendly deal wouldn't be Boras' advice
John
2:18
Will Bohm be any more than so so? He had a good rookie year but then is a below average defender and just an ok hitter.
Mark P
2:19
This is an important year for Bohm, since if he has a good year at the plate, the Phils might see him as the heir apparent at first base.  Of course, in a perfect world for the team, Bohm's glovework improves enough that they can just stick with him as a viable everyday third baseman.
2:21
If he's again just so-so all around, it's not like that's exactly a bad outcome, either.  No harm in having an MLB-caliber regular taking up a spot in the lineup, even if Bohm doesn't become a star
Adam
2:22
Obviously, the Phillies have spent an enormous amount of money the past few years, but does that preclude them from being in on Ohtani and/or Soto?
Mark P
2:24
Seems unlikely, even as aggressive as the Phillies have been.  Going up into the $400-$500MM range represents another frontier for a team that has already made two big long-term commitments to Harper and Turner, plus several other big deals on the books.
Chris B
2:24
What prospects do the Phillies have left for potential trades? Assuming Painter and Abel are untouchable
Mark P
2:26
A lot of the Phillies' most notable "other" prospects are still at least a year or two away from the majors, so there isn't an obvious position-blocked Logan O'Hoppe type just sitting there.

Really, you can't rule out anyone as a possible trade candidate apart from Painter, Abel, and i'd throw McGarry and probably Justin Crawford in there as well.  The Phils want to win now, and Dombrowski has shown in the past that he'll certainly deal a good prospect for a proven talent
Brady
2:27
What do you see the Phillies planning to do at first next season? I see three options. You could sign Rhys or another first baseman. You could acquire a third baseman and move Bohm over. Or you could move one of Schwarber, Castellanos, or Harper in and sign a more athletic outfielder.
Mark P
2:29
My suspicion is that Hoskins won't be back in 2024.  Just to downplay your first option entirely, signing another 1B (unless someone on just a one-year deal) might not be likely since some combination of Bohm, Hall, or at least one of Castellanos/Schwarber could be rotated through the position
Ryan
2:30
Was 2022 a sign of things to come or did the team just get hot at exactly the right time?
Mark P
2:31
The extra playoff spot certainly helped, of course.  But the Phillies are a solid team, to the point that the idea of losing Bryce Harper for at least half a season doesn't at all seem like a death knell.  

I'd certainly have them in the playoffs again, but who knows will end up winning that tough NL East
hannah
2:32
with the SP injuries the phillies have, are there any interesting  SP options the phillies could pick up, for example someone not expected to make the roster on another team, or will the team likely stand pat with Plassmeyer/Sanchez to fill any needed spots
Mark P
2:34
As I noted earlier, none of the pitching injuries seem too serious, so the Phillies will probably go with internal options unless things change on the health front.

Looking at the list of out-of-options players, naturally there aren't exactly a lot of viable starter candidates that other teams would be eager to trade

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/03/mlb-players-out-of-options-2023...
Friend of the Phanatic
2:34
What would it cost to resign Knebel at this point? He was not bad when he wasn’t expected to be the closer last year and could be late inning depth on the cheap.
Mark P
2:36
We haven't heard much on Knebel all winter, but theoretically the Phillies might be interested in a two-year deal (with a low salary in 2023 since who knows how much Knebel might actually pitch)
Guest
2:37
Is Stott a starter?
Mark P
2:38
I still like him as a player, and it's too early to relegate him to platoon duty.  Stott might just need more time to acclimate and adjust to MLB pitching.
2:39
The Phillies are wisely hedging their bets by giving Stott the reins, but having Harrison and Sosa on hand
Davie D.
2:39
Should the Phillies trade for Mike trout before or after the all star break?
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