The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the best teams in baseball right now, but they have some big decisions to make in free agency.
The Phillies have already agreed to a deal with slugger Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber was the team’s top player on the market this winter, and the Phillies’ front office did what they had to do to make sure he was brought back. Now they can turn their attention to the open market.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline predicted the Phillies would sign international free agent pitcher Tatsuya Imai to a huge contract this winter. Imai is projected to sign a massive $154 million deal, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
“Look, are the New York teams pretty clear favorites here? Yes. But Dave Dombrowski has made clear his desire to break into the Japanese free agent market,” Kline wrote. “He spends more liberally on pitchers than any other position and he rather famously offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto north of $325 million, even though starting pitching was not a position of need.
“The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to lose Ranger Surez this offseason. Jess Luzardo is entering a walk year. Zack Wheeler is set to retire after 2027. And yes, the Phillies are quietly – but quite strongly – connected to Imai in the rumor mill.”
The Phillies don’t desperately need a pitcher for next year, but they could use another arm if it falls in their lap. Imai’s talent and desire to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers should be enough reason for the Phillies to pursue him in free agency.
Given the fact that pitching is such a premium in the big leagues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Phillies go after an additional star to add to their rotation. It might seem like overkill on the outside looking in, but the fit makes a lot of sense with the questionable futures of a few Phillies pitchers.
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