Five free agents Phillies should consider this offseason

2. Trevor Bauer

Baseball traditionalists may hate him, he may frustrate coaches, and plenty know what a “friend” he’s made with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, but Trevor Bauer is an elite rotation arm.

Bauer will command ace money this offseason, and rightfully so. The stuff was always there, the command not so much, but Bauer seems to have figured out the balance this season. He’s a player that always tinkered with delivery, stuff, arm action, pitch selection, etc. with various sports science institutes such as Driveline, but this season we saw confidence and maturity, as well as a showcasing of dominant pitching.

A 1.73 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 73 innings of work is incredible, but what’s more impressive is the 17 walks allowed the entire season. He’ll want to join a contender, and after this season, he has the negotiating leverage to do so.

The Phillies could use a starting pitcher in their rotation like Bauer to complement Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.

3. DJ LeMahieu

Once known as a slapstick hitter with an excellent defensive tool, DJ LeMahieu has become a serious problem with the New York Yankees.

Hitting .364 is insane in its own right, but to tally double-digit homers while playing an excellent second base is unfathomable these days, in the era of swing and miss. His 2019 campaign was no fluke, and given a full 2020 season DJ could have put together a historical campaign.

He’s 32, and the market is weak, so along with the fact that Anthony Rendon just got over $200 million, the getting will be good for LeMahieu. The other facet to this is that he can play anywhere in the infield, so realistically he’s a fit for any team that suits him.

The Yankees will try and hold on to him, but there’s a lot of mouths to feed in New York, so a new destination could be on the horizon.