3 remaining free agents the Phillies should sign and 2 they should avoid

After the Philadelphia Phillies made their first biggest free agency move by re-signing team ace Aaron Nola to a long-term, seven-year contract in mid-November, things have been surprisingly quiet for a team that will be looking to be back stronger than ever for 2024.

To ensure they remain competitive with many of their rivals who have been upgrading their rosters in recent weeks, the Phillies need to stay active in the free agent market for some big-impact players to keep pace with their counterparts.

Here, we take a look at three potential free agents the Phillies should seriously pursue and two they should avoid at all costs.

3 free agents the Phillies should sign

Josh Hader, RP

After experiencing the inconsistencies of Craig Kimbrel this past season, which ultimately included a significant playoff meltdown, the Phillies painfully learned the importance of having a reliable shutdown closer who doesn’t cast doubt every time they take the mound.

This makes the signing of perhaps the best closer in the league right now, Josh Hader, a no-brainer. Despite the Phillies having shown little interest in pursuing the five-time All-Star to date, he could be the missing link that cements the ballclub as a serious World Series contender in 2024.

Hader has been an overpowering, dominant reliever since making his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2017. With a career 2.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a whopping 648 strikeouts in just 388 2/3 innings pitched, there isn’t much more that needs to be said about the game-changing pitcher. Although he did have one awful season back in 2022 when he pitched to a gaudy 5.22 ERA.

However, he quickly bounced back in a big way to his usual form last season with 33 saves and a spectacular 1.28 ERA, showing that his 2022 season was more attributed to just an outlier to his successful career thus far.

With recent rumors suggesting that Hader is looking for a projected five-year contract of over $100 million, he's worth every penny of it, even if there are valid arguments against signing him. More importantly, unlike some other contending teams, the Phillies don’t have that many desperate needs to be addressed this offseason other than the backend of their bullpen and perhaps tinkering with their outfield mix and the middle of their rotation.

Added to the fact they also have the money to spend after failing to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it makes too much sense that pursuing Hader should be their number one remaining target in free agency.

Jordan Montgomery, SP

With the Phillies appearing to be set for their starting rotation for 2024 following the re-signing of Nola, they shouldn’t need to be looking for another starting pitcher in free agency this offseason. Or should they?

Well, for those who may have forgotten about last season’s trade deadline, the Phillies had the exact same current starting five already in place when they decided to go out to acquire All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen for the stretch run in exchange for one of their top five prospects in the organization. That clearly signified that the ballclub is definitely open to such options if they believe what they will be bringing in will be a significant upgrade over what they already have.

The Lorenzen acquisition unfortunately didn’t work out as planned following the trade, but there are numerous options in the free agent market this offseason that could provide much more reliability. One of those options is left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Montgomery is one of two free agent starting pitchers the Phillies are targeting this offseason. After all, Montgomery was critical in helping the Texas Rangers capture their first-ever World Series championship following the trade with the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. With the Rangers, he went a solid 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP down the stretch and continued his dominance with an impressive postseason by going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.

By recruiting Montgomery, he can bring his championship-winning experience to the Phillies. He would slot in nicely as the ballclub’s number three starter while letting Taijuan Walker, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez battle it out for the remaining two spots in the 2024 rotation.

Blake Snell, SP

The other bonafide starter the Phillies are interested in going after, as mentioned by Heyman, is none other than reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

After winning his first Cy Young Award back in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Snell had struggled to replicate his numbers from that season up until last year with the San Diego Padres. For the 2023 season, Snell rediscovered his Cy Young magic by going 14-9 with a 1.19 WHIP and a strikeout rate close to 12 batters per nine innings.

More impressively, Snell led the NL in ERA (2.25), ERA+ (182) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.8). He also limited hard contact by only allowing 15 home runs all season in 180 innings of work. However, he did have one eyesore. He walked a league-leading 99 batters, but fortunately, it was offset well enough by his low hits allowed rate and high strikeout rate. He has also had past success in the postseason with a 4-3 winning record with a 3.33 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, with 61 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings pitched in 12 career playoff games.

Adding a high-end talent like Snell to the already dominant Phillies starting pitching staff would create a three-headed monster of Snell, Nola, and Wheeler at the front end of the rotation that could compete against any team in the league. And yes, even including the recently revamped Los Angeles Dodgers group of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow. The Phillies haven’t had such a luxury since the Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, and Cliff Lee era. Snell would make the Phillies a force to be reckoned with when playoff season rolls around in the coming years.

2 free agents the Phillies should avoid

David Robertson, RP

Wouldn’t it be great if the Phillies brought back an old friend to address their need in the bullpen? After all, the last time veteran David Robertson was in town in 2022, he helped the Phillies reach the postseason and all the way to the World Series as their dependable shutdown reliever down the stretch.

Following the acquisition of Robertson from the Chicago Cubs at the 2022 trade deadline, he registered six saves and pitched to a solid 2.70 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings of work in 22 appearances. He followed that up with a strong playoff showing in which he gave up only one earned run with 11 strikeouts over eight appearances.

However, following his trade to the Miami Marlins for the playoff push, Robertson regressed mightily in his final two months of the season by going 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.59 WHIP while going only 4-for-7 in save opportunities. He even ended up losing his closer role for the final month of the season, as he could no longer be trusted to finish off games with consistency.

With Robertson turning 39 at the start of the 2024 MLB season, Father Time may finally be catching up to him. Added to the fact that the Phillies had already experienced the same wildness and inconsistency with Kimbrel this past season, they certainly don’t want to go down that path again with Robertson in a year where they aim to capture the World Series title that eluded them the past two seasons.