Phillies could be the mystery team looking at Gerrit Cole

Are the Phillies the mystery team looking at Gerrit Cole?

There’s a mystery team looking to sign Gerrit Cole this offseason, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Phillies are it.

Jon Heyman of Fancred reports from the Baseball Winter Meetings that a mystery team has emerged for the former Astros star pitcher, setting off mystery team alerts across Twitter.

Former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager, and now an analyst for Sirius XM, Jim Bowden threw the Phillies out as a potential mystery team for Cole, along with the Cardinals and White Sox.

Of course, the Phillies are no stranger to being a mystery team. They signed Cliff Lee in the middle of the night on Dec. 15, 2010 after emerging as the mystery team who beat out the Yankees, who are believed to be the top player for Cole.

Philadelphia has said to be in discussions with Cole, while the Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers are the front runners going into the meetings based on their financial flexibility.

Any deal for Cole will be the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, exceeding the $245 million deal Stephen Strasburg signed with the rival Washington Nationals. Some have reported the deal could be as much as $280 million for the 29-year-old ace, who would give the Phillies the best top-three pitching rotation in baseball.

Gerrit Cole would certainly help the Phillies, he’d help any team who has the money to add him to their staff. Coming off a second-place finish in the Cy Young and a strong postseason performance in Houston, Cole is perhaps the most sought-after free agent pitcher since Lee.

The big issue for Philadelphia, especially after the Zack Wheeler contract, is the money this year. They could always defer money or backload it for when the Jake Arrieta and Jean Segura contracts run out, but right now the team is pushing against the luxury tax, something they’ve never touched.

General manager Matt Klentak said going into the winter meetings that the team would like to add one or two infielders. That could be free agents like Didi Gregorius, who wants a one-year deal, or Travis Shaw. Kris Bryant is also available in trade talks, but those will be held off until his service time grievance hearings are complete.

If Segura’s contract can be moved, there would be more room for Cole on the payroll, but right now it’s tight for owner Jon Middleton. He wants to win, but can they spend smart this offseason? Klentak could make the money work, but it likely takes them out of a deal for more relievers or a second infielder.