4 incredibly high-profile free agents the Phillies just don't need

Tanner Scott

Tanner Scott is the best reliever available on the free agent market. He is coming off a season in which he posted a 1.75 ERA in 72 appearances — 44 with the Miami Marlins and 28 as a member of the San Diego Padres.

Scott posted a 1.18 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and had 18 saves in 20 opportunities with the Marlins. The Padres acquired him and pitcher Bryan Hoeing for young players in starters Adam Mazur and Robby Snelling, second baseman Jay Beshears and third baseman Graham Pauley.

Scott continued his career-best season with the Padres. He converted all four of his save opportunities and finished with a 2.73 ERA during his time with San Diego. He did well in five playoff games with the club, as he allowed no earned runs and had seven strikeouts, two walks and a 0.92 WHIP. The organization did not use him as their closer as they already had Robert Suarez in the role.

The left-hander would fit a need for Philadelphia before they signed Romano. Scott is seeking a multi-year contract that would be more expensive than the short-term, affordable deal they agreed to with the former Blue Jays closer.

The addition of Scott would certainly improve the Phillies bullpen. However, there may not be as much urgency to sign him on the front office's part. Philadelphia may add another reliever this winter on a more affordable deal, and it does not appear the 30-year-old will be considered following the Romano addition.

Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman is arguably the top free agent infielder available. The third baseman will be looking to cash on an expensive contract for many years. The financial ramifications are the main reasons that should make the Phillies hesitant to sign him.

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki argues that if the Phillies trade Bohm, Bregman would be a good replacement. However, he also explained that according to a piece in The Athletic by Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), the free agent could seek a contract similar to Manny Machado's 11-year, $350 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

According to Zolecki: "(The Phillies) prefer not to push past the fourth (luxury tax threshold), but it would be unavoidable if they signed Bregman. Can the Phillies really afford three $300-million players in Harper, Turner and Bregman, plus Zack Wheeler, who is going to make $42 million this year?"

Rosenthal said in a recent episode of the Foul Territory podcast: "The Phillies clearly want to trade (Alec Bohm); I would expect he will not be on the Phillies by the start of the season. Dave Dombrowski is not the type to end the season the way they did and then come back with the same team the next year or effectively the same team. That's not happening."

The bottom line is Philadelphia better be prepared to pay another expensive contract for a minimum between the next five to seven years, if not longer, if they want to sign Bregman. Depending upon when/if a Bohm trade takes place, will the free agent still even be available for Dombrowski and company to ponder adding to the roster?

Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes is another free agent anticipated to sign a hefty contract this winter. His price tag likely rose following Max Fried's eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees earlier this offseason.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the right-hander is projected to agree to a contract worth more than $245 million. That is more than what Spotrac initially projected Burnes' deal would be which was for six years, $183 million for an average of over $30 million per season.

The Phillies do not necessarily need to add a pitcher who would earn over $30 million per season in a multi-year deal, let alone for a starter who is projected to earn over $40 million a year. If the organization did not have Wheeler and/or Nola on its roster already, then by all means, they should pursue signing Burnes.

As with adding Bregman or several other free agents, including Burnes, Philadelphia would need to forfeit their second and fifth-round picks in the 2025 MLB Draft and $1 million in international bonus pool money.

The Phillies have not been connected to Burnes in rumors. The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as the favorite organizations to sign him. San Francisco needs to add to its starting rotation following the loss of free agent Blake Snell on a five-year contract to their rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Toronto also does not have a clear-cut ace currently in their starting rotation.

Burnes would make quite an addition to the Phillies rotation. However, the best chance the club would have to add him would be in a hypothetical situation during the season at the trade deadline if he was playing on a team that was looking to sell and had an expiring contract. His signing is simply not as glaring of a need for their roster presently.

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