The Phillies addressed their greatest need of the offseason earlier this week when they agreed to re-sign star catcher J.T. Realmuto to a five-year, $115.5MM contract. The focus now turns to the middle infield, where the Phillies haven’t found a replacement since shortstop Didi Gregorius became a free agent after last season. Gregorius is still on the open market – clearly the best shortstop option left in the wake of the deals Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons agreed to this week – but that doesn’t mean the Phillies will re-sign him.
In the event the Phillies don’t keep Gregorius, who was effective during what could be his lone season as a Phillie in 2020, they could choose to shift second baseman Jean Segura to short, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Should that happen, two league sources informed Lauber that the Phillies may pursue a second baseman in free agency. Lauber lists Kolten Wong, Jonathan Schoop and Jonathan Villar as possibilities for the club.
Among the Wong, Schoop and Villar trio, Wong stands out as the most valuable. The longtime Cardinal has typically blended excellent defense with passable offense. Schoop and Villar have been capable offensive cogs, meanwhile, though the latter is coming off a brutal season divided between the Marlins and Blue Jays.
In an ideal world, the Phillies will simply retain Gregorius, as Lauber reported Tuesday they want to keep Segura at the keystone. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Segura has extensive shortstop experience, including as recently as 2019, but he spent almost all of last season at second in the wake of the Gregorius acquisition.
Woah. I pretty much said the same about Wong being an option in another thread. Still hope they get Didi and some pitching. That’s the dream.
Mickey Morandini 4 lyfe
Gregorious returning to Philadelphia makes too much sense for both team and player.
That said, Jonathan Schoop would absolutely rake at Citizens Bank Park, so the it really just depends on what the Phillies want to do because they could stand to shore up CF, the starting rotation, and probably the bullpen too
They are rolling with Hasely/Kingery/Quinn/Moniak in CF. The fruits of their rebuild, they have no choice but to see what they can get from these guys. Kingery will bounce around. Moniak will be 4th OF’er type that can play above average CF, Quinn is great speed off the bench. It’s Hasely’s job to lose right now.
Odubel Herrera is better than all four of those players if his head is right. They need to give him a look.
Finally, Schoop getting some Love! He was great last year!
im not a Schoop fan, but he did well last year in looking back. Id consider him.
Shoop, there it is !
I wonder if they sign Wong, would they try him at SS instead of Segura given how good Wong is defensively. That value may be more valuable at SS rather than 2B.
Although, Segura hasn’t been bad, more just average at SS, so it may make more sense to get A+ defense at 2B and C+ defense at SS instead of having Wong learn a new positions.
Given those choices other than Didi, what’s Larry Bowa up to these days?
DD should call up today, offer him $28M/2, and celebrate if he accepts. He is still a fine player,and i am still happy he is no longer with the NYY.
so, it seems as the Phils also think Scotty Jet Pack was a mistake…his best position was supposed to be 2nd, and yet, Segura is better there..for the time being, Alec will fumble around 3rd till they decide what to do with him..
He has graded out as a good outfielder defensively, but a mediocre at best defensive infielder, so it may be a situation where they want him to be their centerfielder given Quinn and Hasely are better served as bench outfielders
while I agree they might play him in center, I don’t think his bat plays well there..
Haseley showed fairly well on D as a rookie and to be honest I wasnt too impressed with Kingery there.
I think Kingery would be a much better player had they just let him come up and be the second baseman. Moving him all over the place disrupted his development. It was yet another example of how incompetent the Klentak/Kapler regime was. Always thinking they’re smarter than everyone else.
Kapler just as awful game manager in SF. And he’s incredible d-bag off the field. Quite the 1-2 punch. We feel your pain…
Segura played a lot of 3B last year but did play 2B down the stretch quite often after Bohm came up. He’s a nice piece to have on a contending team. The Phillies need a left handed hitting corner INF and corner OF’er. Jake Lamb or somebody like that on the cheap and Joc Pederson to replace Jay Bruce. Didi will get 2/30 from the Phils any day now. But where are the low risk/high reward bullpen signings DD??
I love Didi, but 2/30 is too much in this current market. Especially when 2021 is going to be one of the best FA SS classes in recent history. I’d rather go 1/18, but I do think 2/30 is what it’s going to take.
Why is nobody mentioning signing Didi for 2 (or even 3) years, and flipping him next offseason? He gets his multi-year deal, so he doesn’t compete with the stacked SS class, and teams looking for a solid-yet-affordable shortstop will be happy to get him. It gives the Phils possibly a prospect in any potential trade, and frees them up to pursue a bigger fish, if that’s what they want to do.
I don’t think the Phillies are willing to do that. If they wanted someone better they would make the move now.
It will be hard to trade a declining SS during such a huge SS surplus. The return would not be worth the contract.
It’s not really a smart play to sign someone with the intention of flipping him for surplus value in a year or two. Too much can happen to destroy the trade value, and then the team is stuck with a contract/player they didn’t truly want.
perhaps the play is a 2B and make a move for a SS in the next FA then. Would’ve taken back Cesar then but Villar, Schoop, or maybe a Wilmer Flores could fit the bill.
If we do that we would need a SS and a left fielder next off-season. I really can’t see Phils picking up McCutchen’s 15 mil option next year unless he rakes this year.
If I have to be honest here..Why not just go with Segura at SS, and Kingery at 2nd for this season? And use that extra money to sign Bauer? Segura will be a FA at the end of this season, and we can try and sign Baez in 2022
That plan would be a failure. I don’t think the Phillies should spend money on Baez. I don’t see Bauer going to Philadelphia either.
Does it really matter for a team predicted early on as a 4th place team? We need to do more to this team if we plan on contending 2021-2024, otherwise he’s going to the Mets, and that would be bad
Bauer at his asking price will set us up for *certain* failure
Bauer?? I’m looking at guys like Anibal Sanchez, Cole Hamels, James Paxton. I doubt Phillies are even checking in on Bauer.
I saw he’ll be in the $37m area..I like him, but not that much..
Agreed, especially because the Phillies have a lot invested in Harper, Realmuto and Wheeler. Under their current financial circumstances, they can’t splurge on Bauer. I like Bauer too, but it just isn’t a realistic fit.
Doubtful he’s getting $37M…there aren’t many suitors at this point. The Phillies would be wise to jump into the market if they feel they can steal Bauer.
Von, before I bothered to check out how much he was looking for, I thought, “hey, the Phillies can actually use him the way he wants”. He says he can and wants to take the ball every 4th day..That would be very workable on this team and it would let them bring Howard along slowly.. And then I saw what kind of money he is looking at..Gulp!
Supposedly Cohen has the money and is willing to spend it..If the Mets do sign Bauer, I might actually pick them over the Braves
Your owner spent an absurd amount of money and term to sign Harper, he could afford to bring Bauer in at a 1 year 40 million contract if he wanted, Bauer would be stupid to say no, if he only produces 80% of what he did last year he’s set himself up for a 6 year 250 plus million deal , only way he loses is if he stinks up the place all season.
What you don’t want is to see him get a 5 year 200 million deal… then you’ll “gulp”
too late…already gulped!
Segura is signed through 2022.
If not Didi I’d look into a trade option (Correa?) or Villar.
New guy, only found the sight, die hard Phil, and miss the Vet, Didi, 22/2 gets it done.
Jean’s gotten a little too slow and thick for SS. Didi for 2 is perfect. Please make it happen DD. Bryson Stott will be the SS in 3 years. They aint handing out another 20Mil a year on next years top candidates anyway
What do you mean? Do you realize how many guys come off the books next year? Cutch 20 mil, segura 16 mil. Herrera . Prob a few more I’m forgetting. PLUS we just lost Arriettas 30 mil this season. They can spend
I don’t care what place the Phillies ended last year, the team is scary. Its one of those teams you have to keep down while down cause if they ever put it all together…. I’d say they’d be able to get at least a world series appearance out of that roster.
If they can resign DiDi , add Colome or Rosenthal to the bullpen. A veteran pitcher not named Arrieta, then I think they would be set for the season. Maybe another bat like Pederson or JBJ
The Padres, Dodgers, Braves, and Mets are all laughing at that comment right now. There is no way the Phillies roster will make the World Series next year even if they do put everything together.
They are maybe 2-3 pieces away , I say 2021 they take a big step but Im looking for them to go big in 2022
It depends. A team with Nola and Wheeler can be lethal in a short series. If a quality third guy emerges, they can make a deep run. The competition for starting pitching at the trade deadline will be fierce. If a team like the Marlins is out of the race, they can do well in trades due to those desirable arms. And look out for Greinke should the Astros decide to go that route.
If they can sign DiDi , how about Joc Pederson for left ?
Corner outfield is a little crowded. Cutch, Harper, Kingery, Haseley, and Roman Quinn are all able to play OF fairly well. A true Center Fielder would be nice. Right now the options are Haseley, Quinn and Kingery.
and Goofy..he’s getting $10m..why not play him and worry about arms..my hunch is he’ll be so happy to get back on the field, he might have his best year..the team did report he had been thru counseling and I say, why not?
I’d play him. He’d come in handy.
hot take schoop is actually better than wong
Not if you value how up-the-middle defense helps a pitching staff.
wong is no better than joe panik, thats why their similarity scores are what they are on bbr
Panik is not on Wong’s level as a defender.
both gg level at 2b for a few years in their prime and thats it..very replaceable
@dan55 they can laugh all they want, till the Phillies are raising a flag and all of us wondering how the hell that just happened.
They actually have a good roster, thats how. IF They put it all together they have as good a shot as any in the NL east. JMHO
The Phillies don’t have a great roster. Nobody is afraid of the Phillies right now. They will be fighting for the last three spots in the NL East with the Nationals and the Marlins. Until they address the pitching staff, they won’t be doing any damage. And unless they are willing to throw a bunch of money at Bauer, they won’t find enough good pitchers to compete.
For the record, I am a big fan of Dave Dombrowski, so I think the Phillies could be good in a couple years once he makes his mark on the franchise.
dan, the Phillies are not likely getting Bauer…but if they did, then I’d say they will compete for the top of the NLE..,then they’d have a pretty darn good rotation..
I actually think there is a decent chance the Phillies could get Bauer if they want him. They got a good deal on Realmuto, and Bauer’s market appears to be very thin now that most of the pitching-needy teams have already made their moves. If Middleton is willing to go over the luxury tax a bit I think Bauer could go to Philadelphia.
If I let myself drool a bit, just imagine,
Nola, Wheeler, Bauer, Eflin, Howard..
Not bad at all..A few pen moves and they WOULD scare more than a few teams..
Philly >> NYM
Definitely going to be interesting this year for sure.
The unknown is how 18o-inning starting pitchers will respond to tossing 60 or so innings a year ago. Ramping it back up will be tough for some guys. Pitching depth will be more important than ever before. Teams might have to get real creative. Btw, just 40 pitchers tossed the 60 innings needed to qualify for the ERA title in 2020.
How does the Phillies’ payroll look? If they sign Didi or Wong, is there room to add Justin Wilson to the bullpen? Since they don’t have any lefthanded starters, it would be a good idea to add a reliable lefty reliever.
seems there is some room. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the cap space on cap friendly. looks like a bit over $33 mil, though dont know if that properly factors in arb saleries and such.
Taking Wong and his defense over Didi might allow them to make a couple of additional signings or even a trade. If the Dodgers would pay some of the freight, David Price would be a heckuva #3 starter for the Phils. Heck, they haven’t a lefty starter for four years. As a Dodger fan, I am on-board with Price returning to the rotation in 2021. But I can see him being moved if Friedman has another move up his sleeve. Wong or Didi, Wilson, and Price would be a nice late haul for the Phils. A good front three pitchers for October.
When it’s reported that the Phils are still a 4th or 5th place team and they are bad, I say maybe 4th or 5th, but not bad………all the teams ahead of them got better..The Guppies are a very young talented team..
Buttttttttt, the Phillies are not bad…they averaged over 5 runs a game last year and I see no reason they won’t again..those of us with eyes know exactly why they failed..P I T C H I N G ! The pen was the worst in all of baseball…
Pitching is one half of a baseball team. If you can’t pitch, you can’t compete. Just ask the Angels fans about their team. The Phillies are bad because of pitching – it doesn’t matter if your offense is capable of scoring five runs a game as long as your pitching gives up six.
pitching in more than half…without it, doesn’t matter how many runs you score
Pitching and up-the-middle defense is how to build a winner. In my opinion, that has never changed.
The top of their rotation is excellent. What they need is a #3 starter and better defense. In this market, does Wong get less than Didi? If so, they should grab him. Even if the money is equal, I would prefer Wong because of the impact he has on defense.
@dan55 I will the Phillies 1-3 starters were real solid in 2020. Their back-end starters and their pen were the problem. If they address those issues, they’ll compete.
Random blockbuster trade idea
Phillies trade Harper
Jays trade Vlad and Hernandez.
Jays get a star RF who bats LH to balance out the lineup. They lose Vlad but Tellez could turn into a David Ortiz with a much better glove. But that contract is scary if he ever declines even a little bit before his prime is over
Philly gets Vlad who’s projected to have a better bat than Harper and is a fraction of his contract, plus a decent RF who can mash to replace Harper. You can even try him at 3rd or plant him at first even if the DH doesn’t get implemented
At this point Vlad feels expendable, Hitting isn’t the Jays weak spot, plus the talk surrounding Vlad has turned almost negative and giving him a fresh start in another Uniform would probably benefit him
Thoughts Philly Fans? Am I a crazy Jays fan or is this fair?
Very tempting for me.
Jaysfan1981
I’d do that trade, but a couple of thoughts. 1st I’m never in favor of long (7 or more) contracts like this and 2nd he has full no trade protection.
I do think that you’re on the right track about Vlad not fitting in the Jay’s lineup due to his defense.
My suggestion is to see how the season goes. Vlad is supposed to have lost a ton of weight. He obviously can get relevant advice from his dad about taking things seriously and putting in the work to be in shape and to learn defense. I’m sure that someone his age can make big strides through hard work
That’s a ridiculous trade proposal. Tellez turning into David Ortiz LMAO. This is almost as bad as Yankees fan wanting to trade Andujar and Frazier for anyone.
Red Sox fan, theodore? Just a tad prickly with that Ortiz reference.
btw, I’ll give you Andujar but Frazier IS tradeable. He had a 149 OPS+ and his defense came around nicely. Teams would trade for that under the right circumstances. I just don’t think he’s been on the block.
Dude, you’re completely leaving Harper’s MASSIVELY long and pretty expensive contract out. I don’t even think any team would take Harper for free considering his contract length. Vlad alone has much much more value than Harper considering contract.
Harper’s AAV is manageable and for a team like the Jays who don’t have much on the books, they could take it on.
I just don’t think the Jays trade Vlad. This may be the year he breaks through
Yeah his AAV at $25 million is fine, but not for another freaking 11 years! That’s crazy insane long. No team would touch that contract. Guaranteed. Vlad is making league minimum for a few more years.
Insert Grichuk over Vlad due to salary. That fits Philly better with Cutch-Grichuk-Hernandez-Quinn in the OF. Hoskins stays at 1B. Harper plays RF until Martin is ready and then another decision must be made.
Philly would also need to kick in a few million per year once Grichuk is off their books to make this deal worth the Jays while.
If the Jays were to entertain this idea, why not go hard for Bauer since SP is a problem spot?
I don’t know man. I seriously doubt the Jays would touch Harper even if the Phils took back Grichuk. Maybe if the Phils ate most of the last couple years of the Harper deal. It’s just so stupid long that the Jays are better off looking else where or spending their resources on pitching. Their lineup is going to be really good without Harper.
Until the Phils realize they need a workhorse at the front of the rotation (a Scherzer type) who you have to pry the ball out of his hands to leave the game, they will continue to struggle. It would allow Wheeler and Nola to slide into #2 & #3 where they’d fit nicely. Relying on Harper & Reamulto to carry the team offensively with little room for error on the pitching side equals 3rd place finish at best in the NL East.
Very few workhorses today with the most prominent ones past age 30. An exception is the Braves. If Soroka is healthy, he and Fried can pitch deep enough to eliminate a call or two to the bullpen. Needing two or three relievers to get to the closer is a bad formula. As a baseball fan, I am rooting for a full recovery by Soroka. A thinking pitcher who keeps his pitch-count down.
Buehler could be the next true workhorse in MLB. The Dodgers have been limited his innings but they will eventually turn him loose to pitch 220+ innings.
Phils lineup with Didi:
Cutch LF
Hoskins 1B
Harper RF
Bohm 3B
Didi SS
JT C
Segura 2B
Hasely CF
Pitcher
Not bad.
Phillies could contact cross state rival for a low cost middle infielder. They are stacked at the position and a few guys can be had for international pool money with some MLB experience. Difo and Gonzalez can be cash exchange candidates. Cole Tucker and Newman would cost prospects and will be controlled for 3-4 years. Pirates have a ton of middle infielders and can part with one.
Based on all of the offseason whining by the Phillies front office about 2020 revenue losses, I’m shocked they actually re-signed JTR and signed DD to be their GM (or POBO). I’m guessing that DD only took the job with some sort of financial commitment from Middleton, but I’d still be surprised if Philly ends up with a payroll of $200M+ this year. Signing DiDi for $14-$15M and signing some additional pitching help will put them in the $200M range, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they pass on DiDi and go the cheap route with Villar, leaving some money for pitching and keeping the payroll in the $190M range. If Philly ends up signing Bauer somehow then whatever credibility Middleton had left would be completely shot.
I think Schoop would be a good fit. In fact I think he’d be a good fit in a lot of places. I know he kind of fell off the map for a couple of years after initially establishing himself as a really solid player… but he seems to have settled in again and I think he could be a nice offensive addition to lots of clubs in need of 2B help.
Didi is head and shoulders better than Villar and any other cheap option out there. Phillies need to re-sign him and not settle. I think 3 plus an option will do the job. Philly will compete.
Then they have to find a taker for Segura. Tall order but it can be done.
Good morning all…I saw a report (Just another unsubstantiated story) that the Mets offer to Bauer was a short term deal..
That, if true surprises me..All we’ve heard since the change of ownership in NY, was that Cohen was gonna make huge splashes and go out and get players..
Now, I’m not saying this report is true, but if its is, that changes things re: Bauer..I would think other teams might get more serious..Dodgers? Giants? _____?
I just do not see T.B. taking a short deal..
If they don’t resign Didi, I think they move Segura back to SS and start Kingery at 2B.