Philadelphia Phillies Target Could Have Lower Price Due to One Flaw

The Philadelphia Phillies will have to consider the stars flaw in MLB free agency.

Aug 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton before a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

When the Philadelphia Phillies offseason starts heating up, it'll be an exciting time. For now, it's been quiet, and while the Phillies have made more moves than some other squads, they've been very minimal.

That isn't uncommon, as the winter should start to pick up a bit as we head into December, a great time for Philadelphia to improve their roster.

There are a few ways to do so, but as mentioned before, not having a set outfield would be an issue. The Phillies have struggled out there for much of the past 18 months, and at some point, the front office should take the blame for not fixing it.

Fortunately, there will be options out there in free agency, which wouldn't require them to trade any of their top players or prospects.

Philadelphia has already made it clear that they're willing to spend with the best of them again, a good sign as they look to build their roster to World Series contenders.

Among the players they've been linked to include Anthony Santander, who R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports believes could be looking at a smaller deal than some initially expected.

Anderson's reason was simple, highlighting his struggles defensively.

"In addition to being living proof that there are still quality players to be unearthed in the Rule 5 draft, Santander became the first switch-hitter to homer 40 or more times in a season since Carlos Beltrán and Lance Berkman both did it in 2006. Santander isn't a mindless slugger (not that there would be anything wrong with that); he's adept at making above-average amounts of contact, allowing him to keep his strikeout rate underneath 20% despite what could be charitably described as an excitable approach. Unfortunately, Santander doesn't bring much more to the table than his bat: he's not a good defender or baserunner, meaning interested clubs will have to be confident that he can sustain his well-above-average offensive production well into his 30s."

Santander certainly isn't a plus defender, and while that could be an issue in certain scenarios, it shouldn't be something the club worries about too much.

Bad defense isn't the end-all-be-all anymore, especially with a guy like Santander, who could come in and hit 45 home runs.

His bat would be the main priority, and rightfully so. The switch-hitter is coming off the best campaign of his career and would be an excellent fit in the middle of the Phillies lineup.