Phillies Continue To Be Linked With Superstar Shohei Ohtani
After once being seen as potential major players in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, much of that buzz surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies died down because of the other needs on their roster.
Ohtani's elbow injury played a part in that as well.
He won't be pitching in 2024 due to elbow surgery to repair his torn UCL. Still, he's one of the best hitters in the game and will be fully available to hit next year.
Dave Dombrowski has stated acquiring starting pitching is the Phillies' priority, so bringing in a slugger for next season doesn't seem to line up with that message.
Yet, MLB insiders continue to link Philadelphia with the superstar.
Jim Bowden has the Phillies as a fit to land Ohtani in free agency in an article that he wrote for The Athletic.
"When he hits free agency, the industry expects the payday to be somewhere between $400 million and $600 million. Ohtani, of course, is a middle-of-the-order impact bat and a top-of-the-rotation ace, when healthy," he writes.
That is clear.
Not only did the superstar lead the American League in home runs last season with 44, but he was in the mix for an AL Cy Young award before his injury.
He'll likely have to settle for his second MVP in three seasons instead.
On the surface, the fit still seems clunky.
Would Philadelphia really be willing to shell out that type of money again with their payroll already projected to be the highest in baseball entering 2024?
The only way this happens is if they shed some of their current salaries, with Nick Castellanos likely being the man on the way out if that happens.
With Ohtani replacing Castellanos in the lineup, they would have one of the most prolific hitting groups in MLB history.
But, that still leaves questions about their rotation.
Handing out this type of contract to the superstar would certainly be a long-term play as they wait for him to be healthy enough to pitch in 2025.
But in 2024, this would certainly take them out of the running for Aaron Nola and other top pitchers on the market.
The Phillies would then enter the season with Zack Wheeler as their ace, followed by Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez and two others they could piece together.
That doesn't seem feasible no matter how incredible it would be to add the best player in baseball to this roster.
