Phillies: Five players likely to be traded this offseason

The Phillies roster will see another major shift this offseason with a new coaching staff looking to put their mark on the Phillies record.

After a disappointing season, the Phillies have appeared to have made a psychological change by firing Gabe Kapler and hiring Joe Girardi. The organization will continue to use analytics and evaluate players using new -school technology, but they will not overload players with as much information as Kapler and his staff did.

Several of the players who struggled under the Kapler regime were the young players Philadelphia needed to take a step forward if they wanted to be a part of the next era of winning baseball. Some, if not all, of those players were either stagnant or took a major step back in 2019, and are unlikely to return in 2020.

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak has a directive to win now, and he has a history of pulling off multiple trades in an offseason.

Here are five players Klentak will likely trade this offseason to ensure the Phillies win in 2020.

Nick Williams

One of the last additions of the Ruben Amaro Jr. era was supposed to be a cornerstone for the Phillies. Nick Williams was projected to be a five-tool corner outfielder who’d hit in the middle of the Phillies lineup for the next decade.

Williams has had his opportunities in Philadelphia, getting nearly 800 plate appearances in his first two seasons. Despite hitting 17 home runs in 2018 Williams was surpassed on the depth chart by Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper. Philadelphia gave Williams opportunities off the bench in 2019, but he couldn’t produce given the limited at-bats.

Williams just turned 26-years-old and has potential that could be unlocked by the right coaching staff on a team not expected to win. His value is at an all-time low since he was traded to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels package, but Philadelphia might be able to get either a reliever or international bonus pool money.

Look for teams like the Orioles, Royals, or Tigers to kick the tires on Williams as a reclamation project.