In what might be the most pivotal offseason for this current iteration, the team braces for another monster offseason with Dombrowski at the helm
A topic fit for the spending of the holiday season, MLB free agency will be the focal point of part 2 of Dave Dombrowski’s Big Adventure. Free agency is probably the easiest route to success. Get good players by spending money; good players make the team better. While there are a handful of limitations (luxury taxes, comp picks, etc.) the MLB offseason is the closest a sports owner can act to being a Vanderbilt trying to own the railways. Conveniently the Phillies have an owner, John Middleton, who is willing to do exactly that. They have eight $100 million+ contracts, two $300+ million contracts, and apparently were willing to hand out a nearly $400 million deal for Yamamoto last offseason. They spend and spend big so this would be the path you’d expect them to make the biggest splash, but it is unclear just how active they will be. They will certainly spend, but they are kind of reaching a ceiling in which spending might not be the most effective outcome. That being said there are still plenty of guys, including some of their own that will help the team.
The MBL Free Agency Crown Jewel: Juan Soto
It doesn’t get much bigger than this. 26-year-old Barry Bonds is on the market during this year’s MLB Free Agency. He’s a disciplined, natural power hitter who plays a competent outfield. Adding him to the Phillies makes all the sense in the world even at the astronomical price tag. That being said, as discussed in a previous piece, it doesn’t sound like the Phillies are all that in on him. It sounds like Steven Cohen of the Mets is just going to drive everyone else off with his bidding. The Phillies already have so much money invested in the current team it might not make sense. Although the idea of him and Harper in a lineup together would be crazy, and until he signs with someone else I would not count out John Middleton to try and make this happen.
MLB Free Agency Excitement: Elias Dìaz
That’s right, just as exciting, a backup catcher! Elias is a solid catcher and with JT starting to show his age, a real backup not named Garrett Stubbs is becoming a necessity. Decent fielder and game-caller who was an all-star two seasons ago. If he’d accept a role where he’d play 45 games he’d be a great guy to slide into the backup catcher role until you’re fully comfortable with Marchan.
Willy Adames, a Top Player in MLB Free Agency
This would be a super interesting move for this year’s MLB free agency… if he was willing to move to 3B. In this scenario, Bohm is traded. Signing Adames does require pick compensation, but the 29-year-old would be a welcomed (stop me if you’ve heard this before) right-handed power bat with high strikeout numbers. There are a lot of moving parts involved with someone like Adames, but the return would be immediate.
Looking Internationally: Rōki Sasaki
This appears to be a done deal for the Dodgers or Padres, maybe even another West Coast team, but don’t sleep on the Phillies. They were the most aggressive pursuer of Yamamoto last offseason and if Dombrowski is currently in the market for another SP, with his desire to acquire Garret Crochet, here is a 23 year old monster ace who won’t cost you anything, but money. There is always a level of uncertainty with Japanese players coming to the big leagues for the first time, but his stuff is legit and would be a welcome addition.
A Risky Pick in MLB Free Agency: Alex Bregman
So this one has been discussed a lot by analysts and again involves Bohm leaving in a trade. Bregman is certainly past his prime, but is still a very good 3B. He is going to cost a lot of money and adding another big deal to a guy over 30 is probably not ideal. Also, the Astros don’t seem to want to let him go and he would also require losing draft picks to sign.
Starter Pack: Tyler O’Neil / Anthony Santander / Teoscar Hernandez
The “We have Juan Soto at home,” starter pack. These three are all kind of similar. Right-handed (Santander is both) power-hitting outfielders who hit home runs and strikeouts. Santander is the standout of this group as a switch-hitting guy who hit 44HRs last year. O’Neil and Teoscar are solid choices as well with Hernandez being a key contributor to the World Champion Dodgers this past fall. Santander and Teoscar would cost draft picks to sign and O’Neil would not.
An MLB Free Agency Loss?: Jeff Hoffman
I decided to include Hoffman here as one of their free agents he would truly be the only substantial one to lose. The Phillies struck absolute gold in Jeff Hoffman who had a career ERA over five when he came in as a spring training invitee in 2023. In two seasons, Hoffman has been stunningly good, recording 10 saves, a 2.28 ERA, a .944 WHIP, an ERA+ of 184, and 158Ks in 118.2 innings pitched. He has been their any inning utility knife, and despite the playoff blowup, their most reliable bullpen piece. Hoffman however is going to demand a huge payday this offseason and the Phillies have never been a team to spend big on pen pieces. He also will be entering this season at 32, and while he has been great here in Philadelphia he does not really have a track record of success outside these two seasons. In a recent interview, he hinted that he may want to try and be a starter again. Something that will not be attainable here. He is simultaneously a must for the Phillies to resign, but also a guy I can see the team letting go.
Kyle Finnegan
Not a Jeff Hoffman replacement, but just a solid mid-level reliever to add some depth to the pen. The Phillies, even without Hoffman have some hosses in the pen with Strahm, Kerkering, and hopefully a rebounding Alvarado. Something the pen has lacked though is those in between guys. Not high leverage, but the guys who you can trust to get shutdown innings with little to no damage. That is Finnegan, the bridge to delivering the knockout punch. Finnegan had an amazing first half that got him to the All-Star Game. He imploded in the second half and was actually cut last week by Washington. His ceiling is a quality reliever, especially with Caleb Cotham and that is something the Phillies could use.
Tanner Scott
Scott was absolutely vicious for the Marlins and Padres last year. An ERA+ of 252 and a FIP of under three. He would be a monster lefty to throw into the pen with the group they already have. The Phillies would have three elite lefties in their pen which is a weird level of luxury most teams could not even fathom. Scott might become a must if they lose Hoffman and can’t land someone through a trade.
Jurickson Profar
A career year at 31, outfielder Jurickson Profar was genuinely fantastic last year as an All-Star for San Diego. He also would fit the mold of bringing in someone who puts the ball in play and doesn’t strike out a ton. Profar’s market will be interesting to watch. There are some bigger outfield names out there and his age does raise concerns for a long-term deal. There is also the concern of him replicating last year as he really hasn’t been that good before.
Ha-Seong Kim
This would be a super unsexy signing as a replacement for a potential Bohm departure, but Kim is consistent and, again, would be a bat-to-ball guy that this lineup misses. He would certainly be comfortable playing 3B and you could probably get him for a reasonable price as he is coming off a bad year. He was nearly a six-win player in 2023 and I think would be a wildly under-the-radar signing who becomes a Philly favorite pretty quickly at the bottom of the lineup.
The Phillies have their hands full this offseason, but as long as they continue to open up the checkbook, Middleton and company will not struggle to sign who they need to. Their position in the trade market and the Soto talks could put them in a precarious position if guys sign and they miss out on their Plan A guys. I have faith that Dombrowski can handle this offseason, but MLB free agency in 2024/2025 will go a long way in just how far this team will go next year. While it is the holiday season and getting big gifts is to be expected, watch for Dombrowski to find some bargain gems that prove wildly fruitful in 2025… but what if they sign Juan Soto?
What do you want to see the Phillies do in MLB free agency this year? Let us know in the comments below!
