Ex-GM connects Phillies to pair of free agent targets playing in World Series

Despite the fact that their journey into the playoffs didn't go very far, the Philadelphia Phillies finished above .500 for the fourth straight season and made it to the NLDS in their third straight year. The club leapfrogged the always-dangerous Atlanta Braves in the standings, too, and never looked back, winning the division by six games.

While the season wasn't a complete failure, Dave Dombrowski has already made it clear that he can't head into 2025 with the exact roster he finished 2024 with. There's going to be change coming, even if we don't know the exact extent of those changes just yet.

This is already an organization full of superstars from top to bottom, but there's going to need to be room to add more if they want to go further in next year's postseason. Meaningful October baseball is the ultimate goal for all teams, and the Phillies weren't fully able to get to the finish line. Therefore, something's got to give.

The Athletic names Phillies as top landing spot for multiple pending free agents in the World Series

According to ex-MLB GM Jim Bowden, who now writes for The Athletic, the Phillies are one of the best fits for multiple pending free agents (subscription required), most of the superstar variety. This includes outfielder Cody Bellinger and two current Phillies: Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman.

Also making the cut are a pair of current New York Yankees, both of whom are currently playing in this year's World Series. Relief pitcher Clay Holmes earns a mention, as does Juan Soto, who's about to be one of the most sought after free agents in MLB history.

At some point, there's going to be a question raised about the Phillies' payroll. The organization already has some serious dollars tied to Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and J.T. Realmuto — amongst others. Can they really afford to land Soto, who could land the second-largest contract in the history of the game this winter?

Don't forget that as recently as last offseason, the Phillies reportedly offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto more than any other team in free agency, but he ultimately wound up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. At that time, they already had all of the aforementioned contracts on the books. That fact alone means that signing Soto is not such a crazy concept after all.

It's not like they couldn't use him. He's one of the very best players in the game and is an offensive force that'd look real nice alongside Harper in the middle of this Phillies lineup.

Don't sleep on Holmes either, especially if the club fails to re-sign one of Estevez or Hoffman in free agency. Both current Phillies are expected to get some serious raises thanks to strong showings this year, while Holmes made the All-Star Game for the second time and fell out of favor amongst Yankees fans.

Holmes didn't have very many stress-free outings in the second half, but it still didn't take long for followers of the Yankees to turn on him. This is still the same pitcher who's made 60 or more appearances in four straight years while notching 20 or more saves in three of them. Even if he doesn't come aboard and immediately become the permanent closer, he'd be an outstanding option to have as a setup man/backup closer.

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