The MLB Winter Meetings are scheduled for Dec. 9-12 in Dallas, Texas. Will the Philadelphia Phillies make any impactful additions to their roster during these four days? The team will aim to boost its roster to complement its superstars.
Philadelphia lacked consistent production from its outfield position group during the season. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld took a risk by not making many significant upgrades to the outfield last offseason. The trade deadline addition of Austin Hays turned out to be underwhelming as he missed time with a hamstring strain and a kidney infection. The club chose to non-tender him in November, and he is now a free agent.
Dombrowski said in October that he expects Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh, who have been involved in trade rumors, to play roles with the Phillies in 2025. He did not include Johan Rojas or Hays in the conversation. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber has become their full-time designated hitter and should not be depended upon to play in the outfield. He played in only five contests at the position during the 2024 regular season.
If the Phillies' top outfield prospect, Justin Crawford, is not included in a trade this winter, he could be ready to debut in the majors midway through next season. He is on a trajectory to appear with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in Triple-A during 2025.
Following Crawford's promotion to Double-A in 2024, the 20-year-old finished with a line of .333/.380/.455, along with a .835 OPS in 40 contests. Overall, he totaled 25 doubles and 61 RBI and demonstrated his speed with 42 stolen bases this season.
Outfielder Juan Soto is the best free agent on the market this offseason. He would undoubtedly provide an offensive boost to any lineup in the majors. However, the Phillies are not considered to be pursuing him in free agency. His contract will likely be for over 10 years and between $600-700 million. The Athletic's Matt Gelb wrote about Philadelphia's pursuit, or lack thereof, of Soto.
"The Phillies, according to multiple major-league sources, never met with Soto," Gelb writes. "They are not among the teams, those sources said, that are bidding on Soto. The Phillies were viewed as long shots to land Soto; rather than devote time and resources so they could say they tried, they have concentrated their efforts elsewhere."
Let's look at the three best free agent outfielders for the Phillies to sign at the Winter Meetings besides Juan Soto.