Now that two different NL East teams have won the World Series in the past 3 years, (Braves 2021, Nationals 2019) every team in the NL East is frantically looking to upgrade their rosters and make a playoff push, because like we say every year, anything can happen (The Nats were a wildcard team and the Braves weren’t expected to make it past the NLDS)! 

Dave Dombrowski seems to think he’s just a fan like the rest of us. The Phillies President of Baseball Operations has been sitting idly by while every team in our division is getting better by the day. With news that the Mets have officially locked up ace Max Scherzer to a 3 year $130M deal (WOW), the division won’t be any easier. This Max Scherzer news comes only a day after the Mets made a huge splash in free agency. The Mets also made deals with infielder Eduardo Escobar and outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha. The Mets can see that they struggled at the plate this past season, and clearly don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. The Phillies were reported to be in on Starling Marte, they also showed mild interest in Eduardo Escobar. 

After these signings, the Phillies have apparently shifted their sights to a strong reliable bat to sit behind Bryce Harper and a reliable leadoff man. A few names that would be great fits for the Phillies are Kris Bryant (3B, RF, CF) Nick Castellanos (OF), and Trevor Story (SS). With an outfield that currently consists of Bryce Harper in right field and two ghosts in left and center field, I would put Castellanos or Bryant on my list over Trevor Story. This is not to say that the Phillies shouldn’t sign Trevor Story. If they did, he would easily be the best defender on the roster, something this team desperately needs. My only concern for signing Story would be that Bryson Stott, the Phillies' #2 ranked prospect, plays shortstop primarily and looks like he is going to be an absolute stud at the plate. I definitely wouldn’t mind switching him to 3rd or 2nd base to have a much stronger defender in Trevor Story at shortstop.

The Phillies also need a lot of bullpen help. With Hector Neris electing to sign with the Houston Astros, it seemed like Neris was a lock to stay but now the Phillies are in need of not only a 9th Inning closer but a 7th and 8th inning set up man.

No matter who the Phillies plan to sign, they should focus on getting any big names that they are after (Story, Bryant, Castellanos) before the December 1st lockout date. Due to ongoing negotiations between the MLBPA and the MLB owners the fate of the luxury tax is unclear at the moment. Therefore, the Phillies should want to lock down any high priority targets before any potential change to the luxury tax, salary cap, or salary floor.

-Justin Dorazio, Olde City Sports Network