Apr 26, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports Orlando Ramirez
The MLB Winter Meetings will take place in Dallas from Dec. 9-Dec. 13, with the entire baseball world assembled for a four-day period where the hot stove figures to begin churning in earnest.
Here's a look at four Phillies storylines that could reach a resolution during the MLB Winter Meetings next week.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the bidding for Soto "has surpassed" $600 million. Scott Boras even said Tuesday that Soto has started ruling out some interested teams:
Scott Boras said Juan Soto has “begun the process of eliminating teams.” Signing is not imminent.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported last week that while the Phillies hadn't yet met with Soto, "expectations remain that they will." It's unclear whether that meeting has taken place yet, or will this week since there was a holiday last week.
The Phillies probably won't be in a rush to reveal publicly whether they've met with Soto, particularly if he's still a free agent. But it feels like there's a good chance that it gets out there during the Winter Meetings, when lips tend to be a little looser, if they have met.
Editor's Note: Since the publication of this story, Matt Gelb of The Athletic has reported that the Phillies still haven't met with Soto or made an offer to him.
Lucky isn't the right word. But Juan Soto's free agency shows how fortunate the Phillies were with Bryce Harper.
Allow me to explain... @OnPattison https://t.co/23vv5Z4aOd
Even if the Phillies have or will meet with Soto, there's no indication that they are a serious competitor for his services. If they were, managing partner John Middleton probably wouldn't have said this in November.
"I'm afraid Juan Soto wants to be in New York, and I don't mind being a stalking horse, " Middleton said, according to Conor Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
"At some point, if Dave and I get that feeling, we'll probably say 'You know what, we're not going to win this' because we've both been the stalking horse before. And if I were an agent, I would do it too. It's perfectly good strategy. I mean, it's smart. But at the end of the day, I just think he likes New York."
The guess here is that Middleton is right, and Soto will either return to the Yankees or join the Mets. There appears to be a real chance that we know what team will employ Soto for the foreseeable future around this time next week.
Chatter around Bohm being traded has surfaced from multiple credible reporters since the last time that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke at last month's GM meetings.
At the very least, Dombrowski will have to answer questions about the All-Star third baseman when he meets with the media in Dallas. Dombrowski will certainly be able to deflect and say something without saying anything about Bohm. This isn't his first rodeo at the Winter Meetings.
Opposing Teams Reportedly Believe Alec Bohm ‘Is Gonna Be Traded’ - @OnPattison https://t.co/35xuVsdEzk
But he may have to do that at the same time that more smoke is beginning to surface around a potential Bohm trade. The Seattle Mariners seem to be a fit. MLB.com's Anne Rogers reported that the Royals "checked in" on Bohm, although it's unclear if since acquiring Jonathan India at all affects that interest. The Winter Meetings should give us some idea of who the serious suitors are for Bohm, and what type of return the Phillies could get for the 28-year-old.
Of course, the Phillies don't have to trade Bohm. He's got two more years of arbitration eligibility, and has driven in 97 runs in consecutive years. It does feel like it would be hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube, though, after how credible these rumors have been. But if the Phillies have evaluated what's out there for Bohm and think he would be more valuable to them than anything they get in return, perhaps the attempt to jam the toothpaste back in the tube will begin in Texas.
It didn't work in the postseason, but the bullpen for the Phillies was built around Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez and Matt Strahm. Hoffman and Estévez are now both free agents, and Dombrowski acknowledged in his year-end press conference in October that it was unlikely the Phillies would bring back both. It's definitely not a guarantee the Phillies bring back either.
Hoffman spoke with On Pattison and other outlets down the stretch of the 2024 season and seemed earnest in his hopes that he would return to Philadelphia. It felt very much like Aaron Nola the prior year, who did eventually return. Of course, Nola got $172 million. If the Phillies have a competitive offer to Hoffman, he may pick them over Door No. 2. But it's not going to be cheap. Over on Bleacher Report, I projected a three-year/$39 million deal for Hoffman. Tanner Scott is probably the top free agent reliever, but you could definitely make a case Hoffman is the second best. And he's going to be paid as such.
The curveball here is that Kiley McDaniel of ESPN has reported there are some teams with interest in Hoffman as a starting pitcher. He spoke to Hoffman about it in a recent story on the worldwide leader.
"I think I would be a great starter if given that opportunity again," Hoffman said. "It was cool seeing what [Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks] did last year and, for me with how healthy I am and what I've done the last few years with my arsenal, it's an interesting thought. ... It makes sense that guys with deeper arsenals than most relievers have found success."
"Until it got brought back up [by interested teams], I assumed that ship had sailed. ... It would be totally different than the first go round. I feel like I'm 24 years old again. ... I'm moving the way I'm supposed to now. I view [starting] as a great challenge. I'm as healthy as I've ever been. I would welcome the opportunity. ... I love pitching out of the bullpen and late in games, too."
But Hoffman — who had a 2.28 ERA over 122 games with the Phillies the last two seasons — may have tipped his hand.
"All things being equal, I want to get the last out."
Jeff Hoffman: “Yeah, it sucks. All-Star wasn’t one of my goals, World Series was.” @PhilliesNation @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/K5aMhQVg9L
Even if the Phillies do re-sign Hoffman, it will be interesting to see what they do with the rest of the bullpen. Strahm was an All-Star in 2023. Orion Kerkering posted a 2.29 ERA over 64 games this past year, but it's unclear if he can be a primary high-leverage guy on a World Series team yet. What about José Alvarado? Do the Phillies think he'll bounce back after posting a 4.06 ERA this past season? Would they consider trading his $9 million salary if someone was willing to take all or most of it? It would seem the Phillies need to add another high-leverage arm even if Hoffman is back. The lasting image of Estévez's time with the Phillies is the Francisco Lindor NLDS grand slam. He probably doesn't fit the bill, particularly since it will likely take a multi-year deal to sign him. But Blake Treinen, David Robertson, Kirby Yates, José Leclerc, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan are all veteran relievers that will likely only take one-year deals to sign, and could top off the bullpen.
Then again, maybe the Phillies will get aggressive and trade for Ryan Helsley or Devin Williams, allowing both Hoffman and Estévez to depart and drastically changing the back-end of their bullpen.
There's two parts to this question. 1) Rob Thomson hinted in his year-end press conference that the Phillies would consider whether continuing to hit Kyle Schwarber leadoff was the best thing for them. They've had time to think, what answer have they come up with? 2) If Schwarber isn't going to be the leadoff hitter on March 27 at Nationals Park, who will? Will it be someone internally, or externally?
Internally, Trea Turner or Bryson Stott would seem to be the two other candidates. Neither, though, would be able to repeat their 2024 season and lead off. Turner would need to be closer to the hitter who hit .316 between 2020 and 2022, as opposed to the .279 he has hit in two seasons with the Phillies to lead off. Stott hit .301 in the first half of the 2023 campaign, which would make him a great option to lead off considering at his best he can work the count and steal bases. But since his impressive start to the 2023 season, Stott Stott has hit .248 across 759 at-bats. The Phillies could try Stott at leadoff to open the season, although that would mean that one of Turner, Schwarber or Bryce Harper wouldn't be guaranteed to bat in the first inning.
From @TimKellySports
7 Contact-Oriented Hitters Phillies Could Target This Offseason https://t.co/rncCYehSJn
Externally, Ha-Seong Kim could be an interesting consideration at third base if Bohm is traded, although he might not be ready for Opening Day as he recovers from shoulder surgery that he underwent in October. Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbar of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jake McCarthy of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Sal Frelick of the Milwaukee Brewers are all contact-oriented players the Phillies could potentially target in a trade, although it's not clear if any of them would be options to lead off even if acquired.
Might all roads lead back to Schwarber? There's something to be said for the amount of games the Phillies have won with Schwarber leading off, even if it hasn't yet resulted in a World Series win. There's something to be said for how deflating it is for an opposing team to start the game and immediately be down 1-0. The guess here is the Phillies will start 2025 with someone other than Schwarber leading off. Whether that's still the arrangement on Memorial Day is another story. Perhaps next week we'll get a clearer picture of things.
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