2 top free agent outfielders linked to Phillies won’t come with any strings attached

By now, you know the drill. Compared to other teams around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies don't have a ton to do in free agency this offseason. They'll need to either replace or re-sign Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, bring in starting pitching depth and address their outfield for the 2025 campaign.

Rumor has it, the Phillies are listening to offers on multiple players, including a pair of outfielders. They could pull a trade some/sign some move this winter and move on from players like Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh just to immediately replace them with external pieces. It doesn't help that in the grand scheme of things, the outfield market is pretty barren in free agency. Mark Canha, Teoscar Hernandez, Jurickson Profar, Juan Soto, Anthony Santander, Tyler O'Neill and Max Kepler represent the very best options out there.

Unfortunately for interested teams in Santander, Hernandez and Soto, they were extended qualifying offers from their 2024 clubs. This means they can either accept the single-year, $21.05 million contract to return to their original teams, or hit the free agent market in search of a bigger one elsewhere. At that point, any team that signs said player would owe the original team at least one pick in next year's MLB Draft.

To some, that makes players attached to a QO much less appealing. If the Phillies are to pay any attention to that, they could always set their sights on O'Neill and Profar, both of whom had great years in 2024 but were not extended a QO. This means the Phillies wouldn't owe the Boston Red Sox (O'Neill) or San Diego Padres (Profar) any compensation for swiping them in free agency.

Phillies can sign outfield targets Tyler O'Neill or Jurickson Profar with no strings attached

The Phillies aren't even close to penny-pinchers, but the fact that O'Neill and Profar can be had at no additional costs makes them much more attractive. Both players have been named as fits for the Phillies by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

O'Neill, 29, led the Red Sox in home runs with 31 this past season despite the fact that he only appeared in 113 games. He had the second-best season of his eight-year career despite the fact that he made it into 25 less games than he did in that outstanding 2021 campaign.

The issue with him is the fact that he's struggled with durability over the years. In fact, 2021 and 2024 are the only two seasons in which he has even hit the 100-game threshold. O'Neill is a huge power hitter who can change the game with one swing on any given night, but it's entirely possible the Red Sox passed on the QO due to health concerns. Signing him would be a risk for the Phillies, as he's an obvious regression candidate, but we've seen crazier things happen.

Then there's Profar, who's gone from No. 1 prospect in baseball to complete dud to All-Star across an 11-year career. Now 31 years of age, Profar was one of the most valuable players on the Padres this year, recording career-highs with 24 home runs, 85 RBI, 10 stolen bases, .280 batting average, .839 OPS and 134 OPS+.

The switch-hitter's performance in 2024 is so wildly ahead of anything else he's ever done in his career, so he's also on "regression watch," but there's a reason Profar had so much hype surrounding him for so long. Even if it took him a while to capitalize on that potential, he seems to have hit his stride and he'd certainly be a solid fit for the Phillies moving forward.

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