In the highly competitive NL East Division, the Philadelphia Phillies can’t afford to end their offseason early.
They did a good job to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, although they did lose Ranger Suarez to the Red Sox.
There will always be more needs, and in a free agent market that has moved quickly at some positions but not as much at others, there could still be the chance for the Phillies to make upgrades.
In a new article on Thursday, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes that the Phillies may still seek out two positions of possible need.
“While the plan is for top prospect Andrew Painter to ultimately fill (Suarez’s) spot, Philadelphia could look to add starting pitching depth, possibly with a swing-man type who could move to the bullpen when Painter is ready,” Feinsand writes.
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While he doesn’t name any names for that need, Feinsand describes a guy like Nick Martinez.
Martinez is a free agent from the Cincinnati Reds who has made a career out of being a quality option both in the rotation and then out of the bullpen in a long-man role.
Chris Bassitt, from the Blue Jays, has also done both roles at various points in his career.
Beyond an additional arm, Feinsand thinks the Phillies could use a righty-hitting outfielder, and names both Miguel Andujar and Randal Grichuk.
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Andujar is probably the slightly better hitter at this point and could be looking at a contract in the $6 million range after platoon specialist Rob Refsnyder already signed a deal like that this offseason. Grichuk would probably sign for a bit less.
Regardless, it sounds like the Phillies may remain active as spring training approaches.
