Categories: Rumors

Phillies Rumors Tracker: Mets sign Kodai Senga

Citi Field is the home of the New York Mets — Kodai Senga’s new team. (Wikimedia Commons)

The 2022 Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego opened Sunday, December 4 and ran through Wednesday, but the stove remains hot.

With industry experts expecting a flurry of activity in the coming days, we’ll be tracking all the rumors that pertain to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Saturday, December 10 at 11:17 p.m. ET: Mets continue to add; sign Kodai Senga

The Winter Meetings may be over, but that isn’t stopping the Mets from adding even more — both to their roster and to their payroll.

New York has reached an agreement with star Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga, according to a report from Andy Martino of SNY. Martino, along with other insiders, reports that the deal is for five years, $75 million.

He’ll join a stacked Mets rotation that already added Justin Verlander and José Quintana this offseason — bad news, of course, for the Phillies.

Thursday, December 8 at 12:19 a.m. ET: Xander Bogaerts signs with Padres

San Diego desperately wanted to spend a boatload of money on a star bat and they found a match with former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

Nobody could have predicted that Bogaerts would get $280 million, $20 million less than the Phillies paid Turner. Considering where the market for elite position players is at, it makes all the sense in the world for Manny Machado, who is signed to a 10-year, $300 million contract, to opt out following next season.

Wednesday, December 7 at 8:33 a.m. ET: Aaron Judge returns to Yankees

One of the biggest free agents in the sport’s history is heading back to the Bronx.

Apparently, the Padres, after missing out on Turner, came in last minute with a huge offer.

Wednesday, December 7 at 1:04 a.m. ET: Jameson Taillon to the Cubs

The Phillies had been identified as a “team to watch” in Jameson Taillon’s reportedly deep market on Monday (see below).

While the Taijuan Walker signing probably took their name out of the sweepstakes anyway, the wee hours of Wednesday morning saw Taillon’s name officially come off the board: He reportedly agreed to a deal with the Chicago Cubs (another “team to watch”), for the same length and $1 million in AAV less than Walker’s contract.

Tuesday, December 6 at 6:10 p.m. ET: Cody Bellinger to the Cubs

In a perfect world, the Phillies may have taken a shot on Cody Bellinger as a possible replacement for Bryce Harper for a half season.

He’s going to Chicago instead on a one-year contract:

Tuesday, December 6 at 4:43 p.m. ET: Starter Andrew Heaney signs with Texas Rangers

A possible Phillies starting pitching target is off the board. Heaney was not heavily connected to the Phillies, but still, that’s one less target for the team to go after as they aim to fill a vacancy in the rotation.

Tuesday, December 6 at 12:51 p.m. ET: OF Masataka Yoshida, a huge Bryce Harper fan, has officially been posted

Could the Phillies be in on 29-year-old Japanese star outfielder Masataka Yoshida? Probably not, but he has been officially posted by Orix Buffaloes and is available to be signed as a free agent.

Tuesday, December 6 at 11:48 a.m. ET: Trea Turner rejects monstrous offer from Padres

Here’s another interesting development in the Trea Turner saga.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the Padres offered Turner more than the $341 million Francisco Lindor got from the Mets before the 2021 season.

As The Athletic first reported, the Phillies’ 11-year, $300 million offer that landed Trea Turner was actually the second-highest offer on the table, behind the Padres’. But not only did San Diego outbid the Phillies, according to industry sources, their offer would’ve made Turner the highest-paid shortstop in baseball — beyond the $341 million that Francisco Lindor got from the Mets, and that the Padres previously gave to Fernando Tatis Jr.

With deep family ties to the Philadelphia area and the East Coast, Turner chose the Phillies — despite a hard personal and financial push from the Padres, who sent a contingent of club officials to meet in person with Turner and his wife, Kristen. Turner could’ve played shortstop for the Padres in 2023, batting in front of Juan Soto, Manny Machado and (eventually) Tatis Jr.

Buster Olney on the offer the Padres made to Trea Turner.

Of course, Turner went on to sign with the Phillies for 11 years and $300 million.

Monday, December 5 at 10:16 p.m. ET: Turner rejects higher offer from Padres to go to Philadelphia

The Phillies signed Trea Turner, but according to Matt Gelb on the Phillies Therapy podcast, the Phillies were not confident in their chances of landing the star shortstop as of Monday morning. That’s because the Padres, the Phillies believed, had the highest offer on the table for Turner.

San Diego did offer Turner enough money to both top Philadelphia’s total guarantee and offset money lost from California’s higher state taxes. It’s the reason why Turner’s market resolved quicker than expected. According to Gelb

, Turner’s agent, Jeff Berry of CAA, called teams asking for offers as the Padres’ interest intensified:

Turner’s camp might not have ever said it out loud. But, indirectly, the Phillies believed they were always Turner’s first choice. Kristen is from Flemington, N.J. The Turners now live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and favored an East Coast team. The Phillies had a limit to how much they’d offer, but there was enough momentum in the talks to know a match was possible — even if they were outbid.

The Phillies were reluctant to extend to $300 million until Monday morning. Dombrowski met Berry and presented a new offer. It was one of the largest in baseball history for a middle infielder. It would take Turner, 29, through his age-40 season. It was both preposterous and sensible for a franchise that wandered in the desert for a decade only to this year taste a magical October that bled into a bittersweet November.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic on how the Phillies landed Trea Turner

Monday, December 5 at 1:26 p.m ET: Rosenthal: Phillies see Xander Bogaerts as ‘reasonable alternative’ to Trea Turner

In Ken Rosenthal’s daily “What I’m hearing” column in The Athletic, the veteran MLB insider writes that the Phillies are considering former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts as a viable alternative to Trea Turner, who is their top target according to multiple reports.

Rosenthal also mentions that the San Diego Padres maintain interest in Turner. He is still “believed to prefer the East Coast.” Turner is from Florida and his wife Kristen is from New Jersey.

Bogaerts, in the opinion of a number of clubs, is the best hitter among the big four shortstops. He has proven he can play in a demanding market, and could profile at another infield position, if necessary, in the future. He also might sign for fewer years than Turner.

Ken Rosenthal on Xander Bogaerts

Monday, December 5 at 11:08 a.m. ET: An update on the Phillies pursuit of starter Jameson Taillon