Philadelphia Phillies: 5 unrealistic holiday wishes for fans

4. Phillies acquire Josh Hader from Brewers.

The 2020 Phillies bullpen finished with a 7.06 ERA — the second-highest bullpen ERA since the earned runs statistic was tracked starting in 1912. The 1930 Phillies hold the infamous record with an 8.16 ERA. Following the 2020 Phillies are the 1936 A’s (6.81) for the third-highest, and the 2020 Rockies (6.77) and 1936 St. Louis Browns (6.75) for the fourth- and fifth-highest.

The Phillies clearly need to make several upgrades in their bullpen this offseason. Perhaps new pitching coach Caleb Cotham alone will contribute to a better showing in 2021 as well. One way the club can ensure its bullpen does not implode in consecutive years is through acquiring one of the best relievers in the game — Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 26-year-old may have had a down year in 2020 and saw his career ERA rise from 2.42 to 2.54, but even then that figure would have made all the difference for a 2020 bullpen that ultimately cost the Phillies a postseason spot for the first time since the 2011 season — especially considering they finished just one game out of the race.

Even with a down year, Hader still had an ERA shy of 3.80 and his fourth-straight season with a WHIP ratio less than 1.000. Also, he recorded a National League-best 13 saves.

Acquiring Hader from the Brewers would likely acquire a significant trade package that includes some of the top-ranked Phillies prospects. Would new team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld want to part with any of those for Hader?

3. Phillies sign George Springer.

Based on offseason rumors, the New York Mets or Toronto Blue Jays seem most poised to sign outfielder George Springer — a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player.

The seven-year veteran has played his entire career with the Houston Astros, starting in 2014, when he impressed as a rookie with 20 home runs and 51 RBI across just 78 games. His early-career success has continued since, including in 2019 when the Connecticut native slugged career highs in home runs (39) and RBI (96).

Although he is just 31 years old, Springer has already put together a career as one of the best postseason performers of all time. His 19 home runs rank as tied with Albert Pujols for fourth-most all-time, trailing only Manny Ramirez (29), Bernie Williams (22), and Derek Jeter (20). Five of these home runs came during the 2017 Fall Classic alone opposite the Los Angeles Dodgers. Springer slashed .379/.471/1.000 that series, along with slugging three doubles and seven RBI through 34 plate appearances in the seven-game series.

Springer would be a significant upgrade for the Phillies at the center field position, over alternative options such as Adam Haseley and Roman Quinn. If new team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is able to lure the slugger to Philadelphia, it would have a similar feeling as to when the Phillies inked southpaw Cliff Lee, rather than the left-hander going to the New York Yankees. This scenario seems possible again a decade later, with Springer coming to the Phillies instead of the Mets. It all depends, however, whether the Phillies are willing to spend.

2. Phillies sign Trevor Bauer.

The Phillies seem to be in the market for another starting pitcher this offseason, essentially to replace now-free-agent veteran Jake Arrieta. The club reportedly had recent interest in long-time Miami Marlins starter Jose Urena, who instead signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers for around $3 million.

You cannot find a larger talent gap between free-agents than that of Urena and Trevor Bauer — considered one of the highly coveted available players in the market this offseason alongside catcher J.T. Realmuto.

The 2020 National League Cy Young Award winner will be coming off of a career year when debuting for whichever team signs him this offseason. This past season, while Bauer put together just a 5-4 win-loss record with the Cincinnati Reds, he led the National League in ERA (1.73) and WHIP (0.795), as well as all of Major League Baseball in complete game shutouts (2) and H9 (5.1).

Bauer immediately would rank atop the Phillies rotation, even ahead of Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Signing the nine-year veteran would transform the rotation and bring it to somewhat of a resemblance of the “R2C2” days of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.

While it may be unrealistic that the Phillies outbid other teams to sign the California native, there is a connection between him and the team’s new pitching coach, also formerly of the Reds, Caleb Cotham. This offseason, Bauer told Cincinnati.com that Cotham was “really helpful” in helping him work out throwing mechanics and that “it was good to have someone to bounce those ideas off of and have those conversations.”

1. Phillies re-sign J.T. Realmuto.

Perhaps the top wish for any Phillies fan this holiday season is that the club brings back the “best catcher in baseball,” J.T. Realmuto.

The Phillies have made it known on several occasions this offseason that the organization wants the seven-year veteran to continue donning red pinstripes in 2021 in beyond. During new team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski‘s introductory press conference, he was asked about Realmuto and said that while he does not yet know if there is enough money to re-sign him and fill out the rest of the roster, everyone in the organization loves the catcher and would like to bring him back.

“There is flexibility to make moves,” Dombrowski said. “Is there enough to get something like that done, I’m not sure.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Realmuto, Dombrowski is still getting himself situated with the Phillies and is well-aware that Managing Partner John Middleton remains committed to winning. Bringing back the catcher would go a long way to reaching that goal sooner than later.

Perhaps, as the days go by, the chances of that occurring are surprisingly improving for Dombrowski and the rest of the front office. Teams thought to be in the market for a catcher, such as the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets, have already found an answer in Mike Zunino and James McCann, respectively. The St. Louis Cardinals are another team in the mix for a catcher this offseason, but will likely re-sign their own veteran catcher in Yadier Molina.

The Phillies may very well re-sign Realmuto when it is all said and done. The chances of that occurring this holiday season are slim, however.