By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The MLB general manager's meetings got underway today in Orlando, and the rumor mill hasn't taken long to begin to churn.
One of the first pieces of news involving the Philadelphia Phillies isn't especially sexy, but it's rather curious on the surface, making it noteworthy.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Phillies are among the teams looking at options at first base:
Angels, phillies and cardinals are 3 more teams considering 1B options. Also tex, colo, clev, bos, kc, sea.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 13, 2017
This report caught some off guard, because Rhys Hoskins appears entrenched at first base moving forward. In his first 170 major league at-bats, Hoskins slashed .259/.396/.618 with 18 home runs, 48 RBIs and 37 walks. To accommodate Tommy Joseph temporarily, Hoskins played in left field, but you don't get the sense that will be something the Phillies are eager to do moving forward. While Hoskins was serviceable in left field, he is, at best, a replacement level fielder in left field. He also hit .316 in 76 at-bats as a first baseman, while his average dipped to .213 in 94 at-bats playing in left field.
Additionally, the Phillies have three talented young outfielders – Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera and Nick Williams – that seem likely to be the team's Opening Day outfielders in 2018.
So why would the Phillies be looking at first baseman? While Joseph, in theory, is a serviceable backup first baseman, he doesn't make a ton of sense for the Phillies. Like Hoskins, he's a right-handed hitter. Unlike Hoskins, he doesn't play another position. If we assume that Hoskins is going to play 145 plus games at first, it may not make sense to carry someone like Joseph to just be a pinch-hitter or a DH in interleague games.
Trending: Pitching-Needy Phillies Should be Aggressive on Trade Market at GM Meetings
If the Phillies are to trade Joseph to an American League team, where he presumably would be a better fit, they would need a bench piece to replace him. There's no other first baseman currently on the 40-man roster. Dylan Cozens, in theory, could play first base and is a lefthanded hitter, but he's going to open the season at Triple-A. Someone like Cozens, who could play first base, but also is able to play elsewhere would probably be the type of replacement for Joseph that the Phillies would be interested in.
Of the available free-agent first baseman, there isn't one that fits that description especially well. I opined earlier this offseason that Martin Prado, whose salary the Marlins are looking to dump, could be a fit. Prado has played third base, second base and left field throughout his career, but he no doubt could play first if needed. Trevor Plouffe is coming off of a miserable season that he split between the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, so he could be in an interesting bounce-back candidate that plays both corner infield positions. Mike Aviles could be another similar option.
What this report is perhaps most indicative of is how the Phillies view the future of Joseph. Despite being 26 and under team control through 2022, with Hoskins in the fold, there doesn't appear to be a place for Joseph on the 2018 roster. His status is something to monitor as the offseason progresses.
