The Phillies have quite a bit of money coming off the books this offseason.
Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will have some money to spend in the coming months. This is a good thing because the 2022 National League Champions have holes to fill.
The club recently declined Jean Segura’s $17 million team option, while parting ways with Zach Eflin and not exercising his $15 million option. Other smaller contracts — such as Noah Syndergaard, Corey Knebel, and David Robertson — have also come off the books. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman, the Phillies will have about $65 million freed after awarding raises to arbitration and pre-arbitration players.
Having this flexibility will allow Dombrowski to spend and fill the team’s immediate needs. The top priority is adding another starting pitcher. Former San Francisco Giants left-hander Carlos Rodón and 2022 World Series champion Justin Verlander tops the list of free-agent pitchers. The club could also fill in some bullpen help. There are several options to choose from in that department.
People at the GM meetings believe the Phillies will sign Trea Turner 👀 pic.twitter.com/sF3JpvHtcF
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) November 10, 2022
One of the top priorities on fans’ minds, however, is adding a premiere shortstop. It has been rumored that Trea Turner could come to Philadelphia and reunite with his former Washington Nationals teammate, Bryce Harper.
For a team that made the World Series and had a top-five 2022 payroll, having financial flexibility can be rare. Yet, it sounds like Dombrowski is ready to spend, according to his recent quote:
"“I would just say, I don’t think we’re looking to cut our salaries back, but I’m not really going to make a specific declaration … We have our budget in place. We by all means have the freedom to … we had a lot of money that came off. Our owners want us to do well. They’re very aggressive in that regard.”"
It appears that the Phillies are in a good position to solidify a team that has already had success. The team will want to add in free agency, but they may also have some homegrown talent waiting to help out the club in 2023. The Phillies can be in very good shape entering next season.