Phillies rumors: Ken Rosenthal predicts two big free agent signings

The latest Phillies rumors connect them to a couple big bats

After a couple of Phillies rumors came out during the general manager meetings earlier this month the market has been incredibly quiet.

MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal threw out a couple of names in a segment on the network that caught the eyes of people looking for those elusive Phillies rumors.

When asked where outfielder Michael Brantley would sign, Rosenthal agreed with fellow analyst Ron Darning that the three-time all-star would sign with the Phillies.

There have already been reports that the Phillies made a preliminary offer to the 31-year-old.

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Brantley went from being inconsistent and injury prone to having back to back all-star seasons in Cleveland. Two years ago he was limited to 90 games but had 101 hits, and last year he hit .309 in 143 games, the most he’d played in since 2014 when he finished third in the MVP voting.

When putting his decision into context, Rosenthal said he thinks the Phillies will miss out on Bryce Harper and that Brantley will be their consolation prize. That goes against the report from Bob Nightengale that the Phillies are more than likely going to end the offseason with Harper in their payroll.

In addition, Rosenthal predicted that the Phillies would sign Manny Machado despite his “Johnny hustle” comments and subsequent reports that Philadelphia is out on the infielder.

Darling threw a third player into the conversation for Philadelphia, saying Mike Moustakas makes sense. Adding Moustakas means trading Maikel Franco, someone who has quietly outperformed most third basemen.

Here’s the full segment, and take what you will from it all.

While not getting Harper is a disappointment, getting Brantley and either Machado or Moustakas isn’t a bad participation trophy. In the long run, the Phillies would save money and keep their options open while still upgrading their lineup.