MLB Insider Projects Philadelphia Phillies Free Agency Target To Land Megadeal

The Philadelphia Phillies may need to change course with the megadeal that an MLB Insider predicted a potential free agency target was after this winter.

Sep 22, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) celebrates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have made it clear that they intend on "shaking things up" this offseason, which has included rumors surrounding third baseman Alec Bohm being on the trade block.

This comes after the best full season of his young career, which would generate the best return for the hitter, while certainly shaking things up in the clubhouse and lineup.

Should Bohm be traded, there would be a hole on the left side of the infield at a pretty pivotal position, both offensively and defensively.

The club could be interested in one veteran free agent, however, who would slot right in.

Alex Bregman has entered free agency for the first time in his career after spending his first nine seasons in the Majors with the Houston Astros.

The third baseman has won two World Series with the club, while being named to two All-Star teams, winning one Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, and finishing as the American League MVP runner-up in 2019.

A recent report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has indicated some troubling news, though.

While the initial contract projection for the 30-year-old was a seven-year, $189 million deal, the veteran and his agent, Scott Boras, may be looking for something closer to the 11-year, $350 million extension that Manny Machado signed with the San Diego Padres ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Boras is known to do whatever it takes to get his clients the most money possible, even if that means those players do not sign with a team until after baseball activities have resumed which was the case with Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery just last year.

Bregman, however, is not close to being worth the deal that Rosenthal projects he will land even though he may have been at one time.

From his Major League debut in 2016 through 2019, the veteran batted .286/.384/.527 with 99 home runs, 320 RBI, and a 144 OPS+. Since the beginning of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he has batted .261/.350/.445 with 92 home runs, 343 RBI, and a 122 OPS+.

That is a drop off of .116 in the OPS category.

Defensively, Bregman has been one of the better fielders at the hot corner throughout his career, tallying 28 Outs Above Average at the position per Baseball Savant and winning his first career Gold Glove award this season with a total of six in that same metric.

The deal Rosenthal projects Bregman will land carries an AAV of $31.8 million per year for over the next decade.

That would severely hamstring the Phillies for the rest of the winter with their already exorbitant payroll, likely leaving them unable to make any other significant upgrades.

While Bregman may be a major addition over Bohm, slightly offensively and drastically defensively, Philadelphia may be better suited to hold onto their incumbent and spend their money elsewhere in free agency.