Phillies Rumors: Club operating with ‘World Series tilt’
Keep track of all of the latest offseason trade and free agency rumors pertaining to the Phillies on Phillies Nation.
Thursday, Nov. 21 at 2:39 p.m. ET: Olney to 94 WIP: ‘I have no doubt’ Phillies are ‘going to get a star’
ESPN’s Buster Olney told SportsRadio94 WIP he’d bet the family farm that the Phillies are “going to get a star,” and that one rival general manager described the team as operating with a “World Series tilt.”
One candidate to be that star is Garrett Crochet, whose trade market Olney said the Phillies are “right in the middle of.” It’s far from the first time the club has been linked to the White Sox ace.
Another is Alex Bregman. A rival GM told Olney he could see the Phillies making a “lightning strike” on the veteran third baseman. That would seem to follow from a hypothetical Alec Bohm trade.
And then there’s Juan Soto, whose past relationship with Bryce Harper, as well as John Middleton’s with Scott Boras, Olney noted could get the Phillies into the mix. He did, however, seem skeptical the team would outbid those like the Mets, Yankees or Blue Jays.
Dave Dombrowski said after the Phillies’ NLDS exit he doesn’t believe the Phillies need another star. Time will tell whether that was anything more than lip service. — Nathan Ackerman
Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 12:13 p.m. ET: Kansas City has “checked in on” Alec Bohm, per MLB.com‘s Anne Rogers
The Kansas City Royals have considered Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm in their search for an offensive piece this offseason, according to MLB.com‘s Anne Rogers.
Kansas City has “checked in on” Bohm and Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, per Rogers, in addition to the club’s recent discussions on a potential trade for Cincinnati’s Jonathan India in exchange for pitcher Brady Singer that was first reported by C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. No deal is close to happening at this point.
The Royals, an 86-win playoff team led by star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and a strong starting pitching staff, could use some improvement in their lineup. Third baseman Maikel Garcia had just a .614 OPS with seven home runs in 2024; Bohm, despite his second-half struggles and disappointing postseason, would offer an improvement. — Ty Daubert
Monday, Nov. 18 at 6:20 p.m. ET: Feinsand: Phillies could be “mystery team” meeting with Juan Soto
According to multiple reports, the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays and Red Sox have all met with free agent outfielder Juan Soto and his agent Scott Boras in Southern California. MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported that the Dodgers are scheduled to meet with the slugger as early as Tuesday.
Feinsand also added that Soto “had spoken with at least one other team besides those that have been reported.” Could the Phillies be the “mystery team?” It’s possible, according to Feinsand.
According to sources, other teams that could meet with Soto include the Giants, Phillies and Rays. Tampa Bay would appear to be a long shot, particularly now that the club will be playing home games in 2025 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., following the damage to the Tropicana Field roof sustained last month during Hurricane Milton.
The Phillies meeting with Soto makes sense. John Middleton said during a recent event at the University of Pennsylvania that he believes Soto prefers to stay in New York, but he doesn’t mind being a “stalking horse.” — Destiny Lugardo
Thursday, Nov. 14: Olney: Rival executives believe Phillies will trade Alec Bohm
ESPN’s Buster Olney discussed the Alec Bohm trade market on the latest episode of the “Baseball Tonight” podcast.
What I’m hearing from other teams is yeah, he’s gonna be traded. Like he’s out there a bunch. And they say, you know, the Phillies have been around long enough that they can squash that if they wanted to. They can go out and whisper to reporters that Bohm’s not really available. They’re not doing that. So the assumption with other teams is that Bohm is going to be traded.
When Nick Castellanos’ name was out there as a possible trade candidate last season, Olney was the insider who reported via a Phillies source that the team wasn’t interesting in moving him. Back in 2020 before Dave Dombrowski was hired as president of baseball operations, Olney reported that the Phillies were “facing a financial crunch” and open to trade offers for Zack Wheeler. John Middleton and Andy MacPhail both responded to the report, saying it was “categorically untrue.”
Olney is right: The Phillies could kill any trade rumor they don’t like that pertains to one of their players on the major league roster. The fact that the noise around Bohm as a trade candidate continues to get louder indicates that Philadelphia has serious interest in moving the All-Star third baseman. — Destiny Lugardo
Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 9:51 p.m. ET : Olney: Rival evaluator predicts Phillies sign Alex Bregman
ESPN’s Buster Olney put out an interesting tweet on Tuesday night:
Bregman could be a target if the Phillies trade Alec Bohm this offseason. The Phillies are looking to balance out their lineup and Bregman has a track record of being a patient hitter, though his walk rate declined dramatically from 12.7% in 2023 to 6.9% in 2024. He did receive a qualifying offer, so signing Bregman would cost the Phillies their second and fifth-highest selections in the 2026 MLB Draft along with one million in international bonus pool money.
The longtime Astros third baseman did win his first Gold Glove Award in 2024 and put up a third straight four-WAR season, according to FanGraphs. The left field wall at Citizens Bank Park isn’t quite as cozy as the Crawford Boxes, but the right-handed hitter’s swing should play well at Citizens Bank Park. Bregman would have been a perfect fit in the very early years of the Bank before the team moved the left field wall back five feet.
Houston are the favorites to re-sign him. Bregman to the Phillies seems unlikely, but it’s not a terrible idea. — Destiny Lugardo
Tuesday, Nov. 5: ESPN insiders discuss Phillies, Garrett Crochet
The Phillies, Dodgers and Braves all aggressively pursued White Sox ace Garrett Crochet at the trade deadline. According to a September story from ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and Buster Olney, “the Phillies turned down the White Sox’s request for top pitching prospect Andrew Painter as part of the package.” Crochet’s request to sign an extension in order to pitch in October also made things more complicated.
Could the Phillies renew their interest in Crochet this offseason? According to Jeff Passan, he could be on the move. Here’s what Olney and Passan had to say on the latest “Baseball Tonight” podcast.
Olney: I think he’s going to be the most talked about guy on the trade market. I think it’s a slam dunk that he’s going to be traded. Two teams that I’m watching in this are the Mets and the Red Sox. Tell me what you know about Garrett Crochet?
Passan: Will he move? Probably. Does he have to move? No, not necessarily. I think that Chris Getz, if he wanted to, the White Sox general manager, could theoretically wait until July. At which point, there are going to be no self-imposed restrictions on Garrett Crochet this year. But I think teams that are acquiring or trying to acquire Crochet, they know that he will sign an extension. And so the fact that that extension is potentially on the table, I think allows the White Sox to ask for even more than they would for a guy who showed himself to be a frontline starting pitcher last year. The only question at this point is can he repeat it? Somebody who has had elbow surgery and somebody who up until last year was a reliever, but he’s got the ability to go out and start games at the front of the rotation in the postseason. … The Mets could use him. The Red Sox could use him. The Orioles could use him. Everyone can use Garrett Crochet. I wonder about a team like the Phillies too.
Olney: As you know, the Phillies were one of the three finalists at the trade deadline.
Passan: Yup. Would the Phillies be willing, after what they saw from him in the Arizona Fall League, to trade Andrew Painter? I think if Andrew Painter is in the mix, then Garrett Crochet could be a Phillie. We have seen situations in the past where Dave Dombrowski has not had issue trading top prospects to go and get elite players.
Painter, who has a 2.08 ERA in five starts in the AFL, is the Phillies’ top prospect. Dombrowski told reporters at the GM meetings that the team is open to adding a fifth starter to eat innings with Painter expected to be on some sort of a limit in 2025. It’s hard to envision the Phillies including Painter in any type of trade this offseason, but if the Phillies really do covet Crochet, they might have to pay an uncomfortable price. — Destiny Lugardo
Monday, Nov. 4 at 3:32 p.m. ET: Nightengale: Phillies listening on Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh
USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale wrote an article on MLB storylines to follow ahead of the GM Meetings in San Antonio. One of those is the Phillies and their quest to shake the lineup up.
Here’s what Nightengale had to say about the Phillies’ plans.
The Phillies can’t believe they don’t have a ring in the Bryce Harper era, and after knocking on the door the past few years, they are willing to make a huge move to change their fate. Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, has not internally discussed pursuing Soto with his staff but is painfully aware they need to shake up their lineup. Simply, scouts say, they’re just too easy to pitch to come crunchtime with their big swingers and contact-challenged hitters. If someone needs a slugger like Nick Castellanos, or outfield help in Brandon Marsh, or third baseman Alec Bohm, the Phillies are listening.
This is the third straight offseason in which Castellanos has been involved in some sort of trade rumor. A source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand in November 2023 around the GM meetings that the Phillies were open to the idea of trading Castellanos. A Phillies source later told ESPN’s Buster Olney that the team was not interested in moving Castellanos.
There is a huge difference between listening on offers for players and actively trying to move them. This is not to suggest that the Phillies are looking to get rid Castellanos, Marsh or Bohm. However, in an offseason where the Phillies could look to move players around to get a more balanced lineup, it makes sense to gauge early trade interest from other clubs. — Destiny Lugardo
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There is no doubt that Bohm is cancerous to the team when he is struggling. The kid can hit, hell of a contact hitter, and his defense has drastically improved at third. But when he’s struggling, he drags the rest of the team around him down. I agree with the team’s decision to try to trade him.