3 players the Phillies wish they signed last offseason, 1 they are glad they didn't
The Phillies had a decent offseason but there're some moves we wish Dave Dombrowski made
Following a World Series appearance, the Philadelphia Phillies are back in postseason contention in 2023. Things haven't gone quite as smoothly as expected as the team started out very slowly once again, but following their double header sweep against the Padres, they're 50-42 on the season and just one game back of the third Wild Card spot.
Being in contention is great and all, but the Phillies were expected to do more than that. The NL East seemed reachable, and certainly, you felt this team would sit comfortably in a Wild Card spot having improved this offseason with the additions they made.
Now as we sit in mid-July, it's fair to look back at this past offseason and think about moves Dave Dombrowski should have made that would've put this team in a better position to bring Red October back once again.
1) The Phillies wish they re-signed Zach Eflin last offseason
Hindsight is 20/20, but bringing Zach Eflin back would've made sense even before this breakout. Despite some durability issues, Eflin was always rock solid at the back end of the Phillies rotation.
From 2019-2022, the right-hander had a 4.10 ERA in 81 games (69 starts) and 403.2 innings pitched. He got his groundballs when he needed them, didn't walk many, and didn't have many awful starts. He wasn't an ace or anything, but he always did a decent job keeping the Phillies in games.
Eflin signed a three-year deal worth $40 million to join the Rays this past offseason. Now, I get that it's the Rays, but he's had a career year. The 29-year-old has a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts this season for the Rays, and had an argument to be an American League All-Star.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you he would've been a borderline all-star if he stayed with the Phillies, but I will tell you he'd be a better option than Bailey Falter or even despite how well he's pitched, Cristopher Sanchez. The fifth starter spot is something the Phillies will have to address at the deadline, and they wouldn't have had they brought Eflin back. Plus, he's an awesome guy to root for.
2) The Phillies wish they signed Tommy Pham last offseason
The Phillies knew Bryce Harper was going to miss a substantial amount of time after undergoing Tommy John Surgery and when he'd return, wouldn't be in the outfield right away. With Kyle Schwarber expected to DH, a spot in the outfield was open for claiming.
Jake Cave was the player who claimed it thanks to a terrific Spring Training, but he struggled mightily before being sent down. Harper did come back earlier than expected, but what if the Phillies had signed a legitimate outfielder like Tommy Pham who has had a great year for the Mets.
The 35-year-old has slashed .271/.347/.476 with nine home runs and 34 RBI this season for New York. He's been one of very few bright spots for an abysmal Mets team. The Phillies might've won some games they lost having to play Cave, and could've kept Pham in left even after Harper returned by using Kyle Schwarber at first base instead of a guy like Kody Clemens.
Again, there's no telling as to how Pham, a guy who looked like his career was trending in the wrong direction would do, but for one year at $6 million, the risk/reward made sense to find out. You could've at least assumed he'd be better than a guy you claimed off waivers.
3) The Phillies wish they signed Wade Miley last offseason
Eflin would've been an ideal target, but he also signed a fairly lucrative multi-year deal. Let's say the Phillies didn't want to sign a pitcher for more than a year assuming Andrew Painter or perhaps Mick Abel would be ready to take a spot in the rotation in 2024. Wade Miley was available for one year.
Miley signed a one-year deal worth $4.5 million to join the Brewers. It includes a mutual option for the 2024 season worth $10 million. Despite some durability issues in recent years, this felt like a steal at the time for a fairly reliable southpaw. It's turned out to be one of the better value deals of the offseason for Milwaukee.
Miley did miss some time this season, but in his 13 starts, he has a 3.06 ERA in 67.2 innings of work. He's allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of the 13, and the Brewers have gone 9-4 in his starts. The Phillies chose to go with Bailey Falter for their fifth starter spot and the team went 1-7 in his appearances and 1-6 in his starts.
Miley being signed would've put less pressure on the Phillies to call Andrew Painter up had he been healthy and not ready, and it would've put Bailey Falter into either a minor league starter or a major league long reliever.
Even if Miley's ERA was a full run higher he would've been a really solid fit for this Phillies team, especially on a contract that is that team friendly.
1) The Phillies are glad they didn't sign Jameson Taillon last offseason
The Phillies signed Taijuan Walker to a four-year deal worth $72 million. This felt like an overpay at the time, but that's really what starting pitching was going for. It's hard to find quality starters, and despite an awful start to his season which had Phillies fans wondering what if, Taijuan Walker has been a quality pitcher for much of the season.
The right-hander has a 4.02 ERA in 18 starts, including a 2.13 ERA in his last nine. He's been just fine as a fourth starter.
An option the Angels had for virtually the same price tag was Jameson Taillon. Had they signed Taillon, the Phillies would undoubtedly be looking at a larger deficit in the Wild Card standings.
The Cubs got Taillon for four years and $68 million. That's one million annually less than what Walker got. The Cubs have gotten a disastrous pitcher with their minor savings. Taillon has a 6.15 ERA in 15 starts and 71.2 innings pitched. His ERA was at 6.93 before delivering eight scoreless frames against his old team, the Yankees, right before the break.
The Cubs have gone just 3-12 in Taillon's starts while the Phillies have gone 13-5 in Walker's starts. Obviously the Phillies are a much better team than the Cubs, but Walker has also been a much better pitcher than Taillon despite signing virtually the exact same contract.