The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees both have key players from last season on the open market this winter. Kyle Schwarber and Cody Bellinger are two of the best available free agents this winter.
Schwarber was the MVP Award runner-up in the National League. The Phillies are reportedly pursuing him, but so are other teams. If the Phillies lose Schwarber, they will need to pivot, and Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer predicted they would sign Bellinger after losing Schwarber to the Cincinnati Reds.
Schwarber was a huge part of the Phillies’ offense, and if he leaves, he will be next to impossible to replace with one player. The Phillies would have to address multiple holes with stars to supplement Schwarber’s production. Bellinger would fill a huge hole for the Phillies in the outfield.
The team is expected to move on from Nick Castellanos, leaving the Phillies with question marks in all three outfield spots. Bellinger hit 29 home runs last season and had one of the better seasons of his career. He hit the most home runs he has since his MVP season in 2019.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Phillies have interest in Bellinger, so if they lose Schwarber, they could commit that money to outbidding other teams for Bellinger. The Yankees would likely lean on Jasson DomÃnguez as their starting left fielder if they lose Bellinger. Trent Grisham would man center field with Aaron Judge in the other corner.
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