My Ideal Phillies Offseason Pt. 1

I feel like I’m kind of late to this party.

Everyone’s already done their offseason wish lists, meanwhile I was too busy sitting on my hands. Now they’re both asleep and it feels like someone else is writing this article.

I suppose it took me too long to get my thoughts in order on what the Phillies should do this offseason because there’s a lot that could do happen offseason. This is the offseason that people have been hyping up for nearly a decade. The Phillies are finally ready to spend the mythical, mysterious cable TV money they’ve been saving for what feels like eons. They have the money to control the market in one of the most star packed free agent classes of all time.

The Phillies seem like a team on the cusp. Their late collapse last season brought to light a lot of issues with this team, but the right few moves could make a huge difference. After this past season, the National league seems up for grabs and the Phillies can stake their place as a legitimate threat this offseason.

Here is what I’d like to see from the Phillies this offseason:

1. Get a marquee bat. Two, if you can.
2. Improve the defense.
3. Add pitching, but don’t make it a back up plan.
4. Don’t force yourself into anything.
5. Miscellaneous.

1. Get a marquee bat. Two, if you can.

Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Bryce Machado and Manny Harper. Myce Marper and Branny Hachado.

These two players have been talked about so much their names have started to lose all meaning, but it isn’t without good reasoning. Players of Harper and Machado’s caliber don’t hit free agency very often. Even more so, players of their caliber hitting free agency before turning 27 is practically unheard of.

These two players are positioned to earn some of the biggest contracts in MLB history. Sportrac has Harper’s market value at $31M a year and Machado’s set at $26.8M a year. It would not surprise me at all if either player exceeded that number and if the Phillies were the team footing the bill.

To me, this move is more than just adding an elite bat to the Phillies line up. They need a player for the fans to buy into in order to get them back to Citizens Bank Park. When the Phillies first moved into Citizens Bank, Jim Thome was that player. The Phillies rebuild is reaching a point where they’re ready to be competitive, but they still lack the fan presence of the ’06-’11 teams. Adding someone like Harper or Machado would quickly put butts in seats.

The Phillies are in very rare territory because they seem like one of the only teams willing to spend big bucks this offseason. The Red Sox are coming off a World Series win with one of the highest payrolls in baseball, the Dodgers don’t really have a place on their roster for either Harper or Machado with players like Corey Seager returning from injury, and the Yankees are already paying a ton for the services of Giancarlo Stanton and have to start preparing for Aaron Judge’s mega deal.

This shouldn’t be an issue of who the Phillies should sign, this should be a matter of how do they sign both? The Yankees seem to be the biggest obstacle to overcome given their interest in Machado and hole at short stop, which is Machado’s preferred position. If things turn into a bidding war, like I’m sure Scott Boras would prefer, I think the Phillies might be able to scare away the Yankees. They won’t be able to offer anything in the 6+ year range due to the eventual contracts of Judge and Gary Sanchez, which should give the Phillies something to capitalize on.

Harper and Machado’s eventual position is something the Phillies will have to figure out given their current roster construction, but that’s more of a minuet detail. If the Phillies have the chance to sign one of these players, let alone both, they need to do the deal as soon as possible because the longer they wait, the more likely it is that a dark horse team, like the White Sox, swoops in a signs them.