5 Bold predictions for the 2022 Phillies

5. Bryson Stott will make the Opening Day roster

This one is both extremely bold and not at all bold. Here’s why:

Dave Dombrowski explicitly told Bryson Stott that he should come to Spring Training with the goal of earning a spot on the big-league squad.

However, Didi Gregorius is owed over $15M in the final year of his contract, and the Phillies have yet to find someone to take him off their hands. They probably won’t, given his 2021 struggles and longtime defensive shortcomings. While Dombrowski did say that Gregorius is not guaranteed the starting spot at shortstop after how 2021 played out, that’s also quite a lot of money to just leave on the bench.

Then again, Stott would make the major-league minimum, so tacking on another $570,500 isn’t exactly going to put them in luxury tax territory.