Could Phillies Continue Buying Low on Players This Offseason By Signing Former Star?

If the Philadelphia Phillies want to continue their strategy of buying low on players this offseason, they could bring in a former star player.

Mar 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (10) gets ready for a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The theme for the Philadelphia Phillies this winter has been to buy low on players with upside.

With their payroll already being high coming into the offseason, that seems to have prevented president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski from being his usual aggressive self when scouring the market.

However, despite the negativity by analysts and fans alike, there is a world where the additions of Jordan Romano, Max Kepler and Jesus Luzardo all pan out in 2025, which would take this team to the next level.

The Phillies are already over the fourth tier of the luxury tax threshold after signing pitcher Joe Ross, so any future signing they make is going to have a harsh penalty when it comes to the amount of money they have to pay.

Because of that, Dombrowski and his front office might stick with their theme of buying low on players who present upside, and if that's the case, then Yoan Moncada could be an option.

Once a megastar as an international prospect, the infielder has flopped during his Major League career with an OPS+ of 106, 93 homers and 339 RBI across his nine years.

Now a free agent, the third baseman could be an interesting addition if a few different things happen.

First, if Philadelphia is still looking to make a splash this offseason, they could attempt to trade Alec Bohm again to upgrade other areas of their roster.

While Moncada would be a huge downgrade compared to the 2024 All-Star, the Phillies could use a platoon approach at third base with him and Edmundo Sosa splitting time since Moncada is a switch-hitter.

They also would have the option of trading Sosa and using Moncada as their utility man since he has experience at the hot corner and second base. Offensively, his past peaks consist of OPS+ figures that were 140 and 116, numbers Sosa has never reached.

It would certainly be risky.

Moncada is a high-strikeout guy, sitting at 29.2% for his career and consistently going over 100 per year whenever he's played a full season.

The next risk comes from his health.

He has found his way onto the injured list throughout his career, but during the past three years, he's only played in 208 out of 486 possible games, making him unreliable even in a backup role.

But that's why he's a buy-low candidate.

Spotrac puts his market value at $1.5 million, so adding someone to the mix who has the potential to hit 15-plus homers and drive in 50-plus runs even in a utility role at that number is something they could consider.