Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater for Spring Training on Wednesday February 14, just three weeks from today. Yet, many of baseball's top free agents remain unsigned. For a team like the Phillies, they were not necessarily playing on those types of players. But thanks to a tough market and money to spend, the Phillies just may find themselves involved after all.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Phillies just may be:
#Phillies checking in with Darvish and most of high-profile free agents, sources tell The Athletic. Idea is to assess respective markets to see if deal makes sense. Unlikely Phils would be high bidder, but if player fell into their range – preferably short-term – they might jump.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2018
While free agent pitcher Yu Darvish is named, the situation could apply to other unsigned players.
As I have written before, Jake Arrieta has a personal relationship and history with the Phillies front office. Should he be willing to accept a three-year deal, the Phillies might not worry about his later years and ages that might be years of decline for Arrieta. But what about a position player?
Take free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas, for example. The left-handed hitting third baseman might represent an upgrade over incumbent third baseman Maikel Franco, even if the Phillies really do believe in Franco's abilities. If the Phillies could get a nice deal on Moustakas, might they give a team-friendly contract offer a shot?
There are also potential "pillow" deals out there, in which a player signs a one-year deal with the hope of trying free agency again next offseason. The danger of that is that the offseason is projected to be very strong in terms of talent, and the competition might be greater. The Phillies could sign such players with a plan to move them later.
