Philadelphia Phillies Predicted To Sign Best Reliever Available for $60 Million

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen could use the left-handed All-Star in a big way.

Oct 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tanner Scott (66) throws during the sixth inning of game two in the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies need to get busy if they're serious about winning a World Series in 2025.

With one of the best rosters in Major League Baseball regarding star talent, the Phillies might only need a marginal move or two to put them over the top.

That's much easier said than done, as contracts are more expensive than ever, but Philadelphia has the ability to spend and can't waste a year of contending for a World Series by not being aggressive, especially because things seem to be changing for a Phillies team that looked like they had a championship window that could be open for nearly a decade.

Philadelphia's bullpen is an area of concern, especially if Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez depart.

Indications point to them doing so, leading to some worries about what the backend of their bullpen will look like in their loaded division and National League in general.

Losing one or two games because of a poor bullpen could be why the Phillies don't make the postseason or get eliminated when it matters most in October.

That's why the front office needs to be all over an arm like Tanner Scott, who could come in and be their closer in high-leverage situations.

There were reports that Philadelphia was interested in trading for the left-hander at the deadline, but they went with Estevez instead.

If they want to make things right, he's back on the market, but money will have to be spent this time.

Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball thinks it could happen, predicting he'll sign with the Phillies for $60 million over four years.

"Whether teams are looking for a new closer, or an elite setup man who can absolutely punish lefties, Scott's name should be at the top of the list among free agent relievers. As the top closer on the market last year, Josh Hader received a five-year, $95 million deal. Hader had more of a track record than Scott however, and was also a year younger. Getting a five-year deal worth more than $15 million per season might be the goal for Scott's representation, but those deals have only been given out to two guys. Hader and Edwin Diaz."

The AAV wouldn't be the issue in his contract, but giving him a four-year deal could be worrisome.

Considering the other contracts for relievers around baseball, he'd still be relatively expensive.

Scott is just sitting out there with no team yet, and whether that's because clubs don't want to meet his asking price or not, Philadelphia needs to get in the mix.

He was unhittable during the 2024 campaign and would be the perfect addition to their bullpen.