Phillies 2025-2026 Hot Stove Discussion

[dcsman]

If Castellanos is willing to accept a platoon role then fine. With that said, he was complaining about being taken out of the lineup when he lost his playing everyday streak and clearly had some issue with Thomson about his role with the team. He hasn’t yet publicly shown he’s willing to be a team player in that regard. If he is, then at this point I suspect you keep him as opposed to just releasing him, but unfortunately, I think Casty and the Phils are past that.

J.T. - I’m ready to move on. Sign Bichette and move Bohm or Stott until Miller is ready.

[zambonir]

Tucker, Bichette, Suarez and Valdez all haven't signed deals yet, why should JT, the best player available at his position? He didn't sign until late January last time. And this week is expected to be slow because most teams have to finish with their arbitration players.

Pivoting to Bichette is not bound to be any faster. Just the opposite really, as they couldn't really sign him first and trade Stott (Bohm's not going to do it) and get a catcher later. Plus they probably only want him on cheaper/shorter terms if nobody gives him a blockbuster deal over the next three weeks. They are not going to outbid anyone for him right now. Ironically, his flaws (defense and free-swinging) are the same reason a team might end up landing him on more friendly terms.

Trading Stott is also something I don't do lightly. He's good defensively and has a different offensive approach (vs. Bohm, Garcia, Nick, Sosa) even if he's not the hitter we want him to be. Or has he actually become that? .855 OPS second half last year. Small sample or has he finally gotten healthy from his 2024 issues and made adjustments?

The idea that the Mattingly hire might make Bichette more eager to come to Philly is interesting though.

[zambonir]

$250K in the minors

Details of Zach Pop's $900,000, 1-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies

[Austinfan]

I'd rather extend Stott if the price is right and move Bohm.
Stott might be a buy low right now, and his defense gives you a solid floor, as does his ability to play all three IF spots.

[zambonir]

Bohm is leaving after this year regardless. I just don't think you can sign Bichette and deal for a new catcher without trading Stott (or Marsh, or prospects). Nor can you sign both Bichette and and a FA catcher of any note (of which there aren't more than two or three anyway).

As things currently stand the Phillies' next big trade or FA target is not a 3B or 2B. They still need an OF in 2027 unless Garcia works out and is brought back. Assuming Crawford also works out.

I reckon there's still a surprise at some point, just like last year. Maybe that's a FA, maybe it's something else.

Stott is a Boras client so he's unlikely to pass up hitting the open market. He's certainly not going to let the Phillies "buy low." For sure he could be a steady source of 2.5 WAR or better for several more years, but he might still not be worth another contract.

[zambonir]

"There were occasions in 2025 when a disgruntled Phillie or two questioned the lack of big-league playing cred on the team’s coaching staff. That won’t happen with Mattingly on board."

Gosh I wonder who LOL.

Salisbury: Phillies skipper believes Don Mattingly is “the perfect guy” to be “a...

[David_Criss]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/phillies-reportedly-identify-plan-b-catcher-amid-j-t-realmuto-standoff/ar-AA1TGycu?ocid=BingNewsSerp

What would it cost in terms of trade for Rutschman or Jeffers? I'd want them to hold onto Marchan to partner with either one of them, especially if its Jeffers because they'd be in this same boat this time next year.

Why not just give Marshan a shot if JT moves on? I know injuries have derailed him, but he is still a heck of a catcher.

[zambonir]

If you follow that twice-removed clickbait (Newsweek and MSN) back to the source, Matt Gelb, he predicts JT still signs, and the headline saying they have identified a Plan B catcher is pure BS.

The Phillies have talked trades for catchers, young and old; Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers is one potential target, league sources told The Athletic.

He also says that even if JT doesn't sign, the likes of Bichette is ulnlikely unless the market completely drops out on him.

Phillies notes: J.T. Realmuto standoff, bullpen adds, another righty bat?

[flyers19rw]

I was thinking about Bohm for Jeffers or Rutschman and then forgetting about JT. Sign Bregman to take over 3B. However that's not going to work. Bregman wants silly money and term. Also not sure about the return for Bohm not being enough to make that work either. DD is going to need to do some magic to resolve the issues at 3B and C.

[zambonir]

Or he will just sign JT and keep Bohm.

[Pat_Burrell]

My mom never threw any of my cards away because she saw how much joy they brought me and because I was fairly meticulous and careful in caring for them. We never had a lot of money growing up so my cards were my prized possessions. I have always been a fairly organized person and when I was about 6-7, we bought several pieces of furniture from the Mennonites including a beautiful roll top desk where I kept all of my cards. (I still have that roll top desk over 40 years later). Today all of my cards from my youth as well as cards I’ve acquired over the past 40 years are all confined to my home office. I’m pretty much a baseball/hockey card collector.

[RolenRules]

Phillies To Sign Tucker Davidson To Minor League Deal

Wrong Tucker!

[zambonir]

That actually seems like a perfectly fungible #7-8 starter type guy. Pretty funny he lost his job in the KBO to VV.

[zambonir]

https://share.inquirer.com/NSfY7W

(gift link above)

How Bo Bichette could wind up with the Phillies | David Murphy

One of the reasons the Phillies can't trade for Bohm for anything is there are as many as three better options possibly available in trade (Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte who are not impending FAs, plus Hoerner who is), plus Bregman and Bichette.

Personally, I'd love to see the market drop out on Bregman, get him for 2-3 years with opt-outs rather than Bichette for 6-8, even though Bichette is younger. Bregman's not great defensively but that's still better than Bohm, and probably Bichette would only be less bad at 3B than he was at SS, not actually good. Red Sox probably keeping him though. Whereas Blue Jays might get Tucker instead of keeping Bichette.

What we’re hearing around MLB: Cubs in mix for Bregman and Bichette, Mets...

[David_Criss]

If they are looking for a righthanded bad to platoon with Marsh, why not just keep Casty? They are going to pay him whether he plays for the Phillies or someone else. He will have to accept his platoon role. The Phillies are his boss and you do what the boss says.
Just as much as I am growing to accept that JT probably won't be on the Phillies next year, I am warming up to the idea of keeping Casty. If they aren't getting anything for him in a trade then hold onto him. He can be traded in July or released later. This is his contract walk year. He will want to show he has something left to prove.

[Philsmania]

Perhaps we are getting into pillow contract territory for some of these guys. Might be good for the Phillies in win-now mode.

I wonder if Ranger will get as much as the Phillies QO was.

[zambonir]

Because they want him so little they will pay 19.2 million for him to go away if they have to.

I guess you will be the happiest guy in Philly when JT signs if you have written him off this early.

[Austinfan]

Casty is such a bad fielder that he's unlikely to even hit replacement level.
At least Kemp, who has speed, has upside in the field with hard work, and can probably hit as well in a platoon role as Casty at this point in his career.

[Eisenreich]

I think considering Casty is a moot point. The team has made it pretty clear that he will not be returning, trade or no trade. Seems to me that they have shut the door on his Phillies career.

[zambonir]

And it's mutual. This isn't Odubel Herrera where the team wasn't allowed to release him, Herrera couldn't refuse to go to the minors, and then they got back together out of desperation. Both sides want to move on.

The fact that the Phillies are supposedly sniffing around Grichuk show they might like to have another OF bat to platoon with Marsh who can actually field. But if not, Kemp (.786 OPS against LHP with room to grow) and Wilson (.834 career OPS against LHP) are both better than Nick was last year (.680 OPS again LHP).

I like Nick and hope he can have a bounce-back year but he can't and won't do that in Philadelphia. If anything Dombrowski holds the guy in high enough esteem to give him that chance. The wasted money is on DD, but he doesn't want to pay it and have Nick be a bad player or bad teammate again on top of that.