The Phillies of Philadelphia are in an intriguing stage of their offseason.
They accomplished their No. 1 goal of keeping their rotation intact by re-signing Aaron Nola.
The roster that made it to back-to-back National League Championship Series is largely returning, and has a great shot at getting there again.
So, as the front office navigates the rest of the winter before things move into Spring Training, the question is if there will be another move.
Bullpen seems to be something the Phillies would ideally target, considering there was a report they aren’t ready to guarantee their rising star reliever a roster spot in 2024.
Another area they were reportedly interested in upgrading is the fourth outfield spot, despite already having Cristian Pache and Jake Cave on the roster.
One player who had been linked to them throughout the offseason was Joc Pederson.
The lefty slugger has been an All-Star and World Series champion twice in his career, playing major roles in both of those banner lifting seasons.
His career slash line of .237/.336/.464 and OPS+ of 116 would give Philadelphia a great option off the bench who is a threat for 15-plus home runs and 50-plus RBI in any given year.
However, that option is no longer available for the Phillies as Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY reported Pederson signed a one-year, $9.5 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It’s safe to say Philadelphia isn’t a fan of the Diamondbacks right now, as they came back to eliminate the Phillies in last season’s NLCS.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves largely dominating the National League headlines the past few years, it’s been Philadelphia and Arizona who have made the World Series instead of those super teams.
This is a solid addition for the Diamondbacks who are still filled with young talent.
The Phillies will likely have a much harder task in getting back to a World Series if they don’t make a couple more upgrades.
