Phillies 2020 Opening Day roster early predictions

There are a lot of ways the Phillies offseason can turn, but we’re taking an early shot at the opening day roster.

Pitchers and catchers don’t report for three more months, and a lot is going to change on the Phillies roster between free agency, trades, and other roster moves.

There are two everyday jobs, third base and center field, up for grabs this offseason. Free agents such as Mike Moustakas or Josh Donaldson would fill a big need, while a trade for Starling Marte, Kris Bryant, or Francisco Lindor could shake everything up.

Will Scott Kingery be the starting second baseman, center fielder, or third baseman in 2020? That all depends on the third base market in free agency, what the Phillies could get for Cesar Hernandez in a trade, and what becomes of the center field job.

The starting pitching needs to be completely revamped beyond Aaron Nola, who will hopefully return to somewhat of what we saw in 2018 when he was a Cy Young candidate. New pitching coach Bryan Price should play a big role in Nola bouncing back from a down year.

Philadelphia’s bullpen was decimated by injuries last year with top free agent signing David Robertson going down with Tommy John surgery. A lot of the depth relievers will be free agents this year, leaving a couple of bullpen jobs open.

There’s a lot for Joe Girardi, Matt Klentak, Andy MacPhail, and John Middleton to get done this offseason, but we’re making their lives easier by providing our suggestions for the 25, or potentially 26, man roster.