What is Philadelphia Phillies' Biggest Question Entering Winter Meetings?

What is the biggest question for the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the Winter Meetings?

Oct 9, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) during game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies will be heading into the Winter Meetings as a team to watch with the franchise looking to shake things up. 

After a disappointing early exit in the postseason, it is easy to understand why the Phillies are looking to shake things up this offseason, as they have seen earlier exits than they would have liked the last two years in the playoffs. 

The ownership and front office of Philadelphia are clearly committed to winning. The loss in the National League Division Series exposed some issues on the roster for the Phillies that the team will be looking to clean up this offseason. 

So far, Philadelphia has been quiet in free agency and on the trade front, but that could all change very quickly when the Winter Meetings begin. 

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com recently spoke about the biggest question for the Phillies heading into the Winter Meetings. He highlighted what their next big move would be as the biggest question. 

“Everybody expects the Phillies to do something significant this offseason, but what exactly will it be? They have expressed interest in Soto, but they have said publicly they do not expect to sign him. It’s not a surprise. While Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski loves star players, he has made a point this offseason to say he doesn’t think the Phillies need to add another high-priced star. Of course, the Phillies probably need another high-impact bat in the lineup. There’s just too much swing-and-miss in there. So how do they do it? It might come via trade, which makes things interesting. It’s why Alec Bohm and Ranger Suárez and top prospects like Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and others have been mentioned in trades.”

While Philadelphia has been in on a lot of big-name free agents in recent years, they never really seemed to be in on Juan Soto this offseason, which would be a massive splash. 

However, there are still a lot of good free agents out there this offseason that could make sense for the Phillies, especially if they end up trading Alec Bohm. Moving their All-Star third baseman would likely be an indication that they are going to try and bring in either Alex Bregman or Willy Adames to replace him. 

Furthermore, if free agency isn’t the way that they try to improve the team, they do have the ability to do so through trades this offseason. Despite being big spenders, Philadelphia also has a pretty talented farm system as well. 

With prospects and money, the Phillies can improve in multiple ways and make a splash either in free agency or in a trade in the coming days and weeks.