Rumored Philadelphia Phillies Target Gets $64 Million in MLB Free Agency Prediction

The Philadelphia Phillies would have to make a big offer to land this reliever this winter.

Oct 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Tanner Scott (66) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

During the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies were interested in landing relief help. They eventually added Carlos Estevez, perhaps the second-best one traded at the time.

While grabbing Estevez was a wise decision, and he helped this team down the stretch, the Phillies' interest in Tanner Scott is important to remember.

Scott, arguably the best reliever in Major League Baseball, is on the market as a free agent this winter. He's expected to have multiple suitors, and Philadelphia has continuously been linked to him as one.

Something to consider with Scott is his potential contract. He could be looking at a massive deal for a closer, and while that isn't something he doesn't deserve, the Phillies might believe that money could be better spent elsewhere.

The latest prediction on the left-hander is that he'll grab a huge deal, as Tim Britton of The Athletic has him at $64 million over four years.

"Tantalizing but extremely wild early in his career, Scott has emerged as one of the game’s top left-handed relievers by improving his walk rate from abysmal to merely run-of-the-mill bad. He was a first-time All-Star last season, despite walking 4.5 per nine innings, because his upper-90s fastball and high-80s slider are among the most overpowering combos in baseball. Scott has a 2.04 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 150 innings over the past two seasons while shutting down both lefties (.167) and righties (.194), making him a near-lock to secure the biggest payday of any reliever in this free-agent class, even if some teams are scared away by his erratic pre-2023 work."

$64 million for a reliever is a lot, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't explore the option.

If they believe Scott would take a bit lower than that, he'd be an excellent addition.

Factor in the likelihood of Estevez and Jeff Hoffman leaving in free agency, and Philadelphia has a giant hole in the backend of their bullpen that needs to be filled.

They could bring in two or three cheaper options with good stuff that might translate well in the future, but with Scott, they'd already know what they have. He's produced elite numbers over the past few campaigns and doesn't have as many uncertainties as others.

Whether that's worth $64 million remains to be seen, but it seems like a fair price for him as he looks to get paid among the top relievers in baseball this winter.

Either way, expect there to be a few new faces in the Phillies bullpen next season.