The Phillies are among four teams to be shut out from signing a player out of Japan to a major league deal, but it’s not for a lack of trying. It all comes down to one player willing to be the first.
“We think he can play center field," Phillies president Dave Dombrowski said of the prospect at the general managers meetings in Las Vegas. Crawford hit .334 this season at Lehigh Valley.
Dombrowski said "sometimes change of sceneries can be beneficial for people, too" in reference to his conversation with Castellanos. St. Louis is looking to move on from Arenado, too.
Suárez was 16 when the Phillies signed him out of Venezuela for $25,000. He’s 30 now and poised to be flattered with nine-figure overtures. Is he as good as gone from the only team he's ever known?
Bader, who hit .305 with five homers and an .824 OPS in 50 games with the Phillies, will join Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suárez as the team's other prominent free agents.
As Realmuto became a free agent this week, Wathan sat down with The Inquirer’s baseball podcast to share the secrets of the 34-year-old catcher’s durability.