3 under-the-radar free agents Phillies should sign

While there is a focus on the Phillies re-signing J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius, there are also under-the-radar free agents they should consider.

I’ll be the first to say that in order for the Phillies to bring a World Series championship back to Philadelphia in the near future, J.T. Realmuto must be the team’s catcher.

With the looks of this free-agent market, only the top stars — such as Realmuto, Trevor Bauer, and George Springer — will get top dollar, leaving borderline All-Stars — such as Liam Hendriks and Didi Gregorius — to make much less than they would in a normal year.

Ideally, the Phillies would ink Realmuto, add bullpen talent like Hendriks, and even re-sign Gregorius on a team-friendly deal — plus be in the mix for starting pitching (e.g., Bauer). Unfortunately, it looks like Managing Partner John Middleton and the Phillies will not spend nearly as much as that would require.

Given that most teams are unwilling to spend even a little bit of money, the Phillies probably will not land two or three free agents at the top of their list. For example, the American League leader in saves, Brad Hand, was waived outright and could have been claimed by any team for $10 million —  a solid price for a top reliever in a normal market; instead, he went unclaimed.

To avoid spending more money than they have to, here are three overlooked free-agent options that could help the Phillies in 2021.