By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While it appears certain that the Philadelphia Phillies do intend to add another outfielder before the 2017 season, it doesn't appear that the club will ever become a serious suitor for the biggest outfielder left on the market.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, even with a protected first-round pick, the Phillies are unlikely to make a run at Jose Bautista, who is seemingly attainable:
The team’s wide-ranging list of potential targets includes free-agent outfielder Jose Bautista, who is perhaps the best hitter still available. But the Phils, seeking the lowest possible acquisition cost, consider Bautista a less likely option; they are reluctant to lose a draft pick for signing him, sources say.
The Phillies’ first-round pick is protected, so they would lose only their second-rounder if they signed Bautista, who received a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays.
But forfeiting even that pick — currently the 45th selection overall — would give the Phillies pause as they continue their rebuilding program, sources say.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki echoed Rosenthal's sentiments, all but saying there's no chance of the Phillies signing Bautista:
Those sources said there is almost no chance the Phillies sign free agent Jose Bautista, even on a potential one-year contract. The Blue Jays offered Bautista a qualifying offer, so the Phillies would have to forfeit a second-round Draft pick and its accompanying bonus allotment (more than $1 million) to sign him.
Bautista, 36, topped 300 career home runs in 2016, but slashed .234/.366/.452 in 2016, while playing in only 116 games. On one hand, Bautista could bounce back in 2017, but he's become a liability in the outfield and the return that the Phillies could get for him in a July trade doesn't seem to be large enough for them to entertain giving up a high draft pick to sign him.
It's possible that Bautista won't sign with a team until June — it may work to keep him healthier — which would mean that whatever team signing him wouldn't have to give up a draft pick. By then, however, the Phillies will have likely signed another outfielder and Bautista's market will have opened up to include teams that are in contending situations and are more likely to want to sign Bautista if they don't have to forfeit a draft choice.
Rosenthal is joined by Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet in reporting that the Phillies are likely to sign a veteran outfielder before the 2017 season, with both mentioning Michael Saunders and Brandon Moss as possibilities. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports was the first to note interest from the Phillies in signing Moss, who spent the 2011 season in the organization. Zolecki agreed with the team being interested in both Saunders and Moss, while also confirming Rosenthal's report that New York Mets outfielder Jay Bruce, who the team tried to trade for last Spring Training, is a name to watch on the trade market. Sports Talk Philly's Frank Klose has also speculated that Logan Morrison could be a potential fit.
