Price and Timetable Revealed for Philadelphia Phillies Potential Targets
In this story:
It's been an uncharacteristic offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies this year as they focused on keeping their team intact, while also adding some role players.
That's a hard strategy to argue against considering they were in the World Series two years ago and were a home collapse away from making it in back-to-back seasons.
Still, many people had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact that ultra-aggressive Dave Dombrowski was not attacking the open market like he had in the past.
They were continually linked to different players throughout free agency, and are still seen as a team potentially waiting to strike right before Opening Day arrives.
If that is in fact the case, then the Phillies now know the price tag and timeline for two of their rumored targets.
The first is reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
After searching for a lucrative, long-term deal, he reportedly is now comfortable taking something with a high Average Annual Value that allows him to hit free agency soon once again.
"[The Houston Astros] have balked at Snell's asking price of at least a two-year guarantee for $60 million, including an opt-out after the 2024 season," reported Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
His current asking price is now known.
One year of Snell for $30 million where Philadelphia can move on if he underperforms in 2024 seems like something they might be interested in.
Dombrowski has talked about his comfortability with their current rotation, but it would be hard to turn down someone as talented as Snell for this type of deal.
The other is Jordan Montgomery.
He was also searching for that long-term contract after being a major factor in the Texas Rangers' World Series championship run, but nothing has come to fruition.
Greg Zumach discussed what Montgomery's new timetable to sign might be and pointed out he might be waiting until the regular season actually starts before inking a deal.
This is certainly taking people into the minds of agents and front offices.
If Montgomery waits until the year begins to sign a deal, then he can't be made a Qualifying Offer again, thus making a short-term contract that offers him a high AAV like Snell is looking for much more appealing.
But the longer he waits, the less attractive he becomes for teams this season because he would likely miss his first couple scheduled starts as he ramps up in the minors.
How this impacts the Phillies is clear.
They were never going to sign one of these starters to a long-term deal, but it had been reported they might have interest in something that doesn't lock them into something for multiple years.
Both players have entered that range.
Philadelphia might still have no intention of adding either one, but they are now certainly within striking distance based on how their free agencies have developed.
