Will Freddy Galvis be a Phillie in 2018? (Frank Klose/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
Despite interest that has spanned over a year, the Los Angeles Angels won't trade for Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez, as they instead reportedly agreed to a deal for Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler Wednesday evening. Given that the Angels seemed to be the No. 1 suitor for Hernandez, it appears entirely possible that the Phillies won't move him this offseason. That may mean they try even harder to move Freddy Galvis, as they look to alleviate some pressure from what's likely to be an overcrowded middle infield.
According to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies have pushed hard to move the 28-year-old at the MLB Winter Meetings:
The Phillies have a logjam in the middle infield with J.P. Crawford and Scott Kingery pushing Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez. Galvis and Hernandez are both available for trades. Officials from other clubs say the Phillies have been aggressive in shopping Galvis. The Phils will look to get pitching for Galvis, but the return might not be robust because he is a rental player who will be a free agent after the 2018 season.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report that the San Diego Padres were interested in Galvis. (Rosenthal wrote that the Padres were 'among the clubs' with some level of interest in Galvis.) Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe also noted that the Padres are interested in free-agent shortstop Zack Cozart, though Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports was among those to report last month that the Padres, with Fernando Tatis Jr. not far from being ready to play shortstop at the major league level, wanted to acquire a short-term option to play shortstop. Though MLB Trade Rumors predicted Cozart would land with the Padres, they also projected he would receive a three-year/$42 million contract. If the Padres really believe Tatis is close, Galvis, who can be a free-agent after 2018, may make more sense for them.
Galvis, who is the longest tenured member of the Phillies, has been one of the best fielders at any position over the last two seasons. However, despite having some pop, he's struggled to consistently get on base, which reduces his value as an offensive player. Former first-round pick J.P. Crawford appears ready to start at shortstop on a regular basis in 2018 as well, which would push him to the bench, where he may also be joined by Hernandez once Scott Kingery is called up.
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