Getty Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper has been active in recruiting free agents to the team.
The Philadelphia Phillies emerged as MLB’s second-highest spender in the 2024 offseason, though they largely kept their team intact from last season.
They were in contention to add one of the most compelling free agents in the market, offering more money than any other team for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as principal owner John Middleton told The Philadelphia Inquirer. Yamamoto ultimately signed for $325 million over 12 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but not before Phillies star Bryce Harper gave him his best pitch to take Middleton’s offer.
“If you want to be in this market and play in front of this fan base, you’re going to reap the rewards of that,” Harper told Yamamoto during a 30-minute FaceTime call, as he recalled for The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya. “We’re different than L.A. We’re different than New York. We don’t have the hoopla, the bright lights. But it’s a lot brighter in Philly in October than in any of those places.”
Rosenthal and Ardaya added that the Phillies also sent Yamamoto a chart showing how a Kyle Schwarber home run in the 2022 World Series registered on the Richter scale. But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowksi noted that the team did not make much traction in their pursuit.
“We quickly knew we were not one of his top suitors,” he told The Athletic.
The Philadelphia Phillies Solidified the Top of the Pitching Staff, Even Without Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Well before the Yamamoto sweepstakes heated up, the Phillies signed pitcher Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million extension. After Yamamoto chose the Dodgers, they extended pitcher Zack Wheeler on a three-year, $126 million deal. Along with Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sánchez, the team solidified one of the stronger rotations in all of MLB, even without a major free-agent acquisition.
But an injury to the starting staff’s final member in Taijuan Walker, who signed a $72 million deal with the team in 2022, raised questions about its depth as Spencer Turnbull was slotted in.
“Turnbull missed most of the last three seasons due to assorted injuries, including Tommy John elbow surgery in 2021,” Scott Lauber reported for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “The Phillies believe in his upside… But they didn’t expect to have to rely on Turnbull so quickly.”
Where Might the Philadelphia Phillies Turn to Add Pitching Depth?
After missing on Yamamoto, the Philles could be in the market for a pitching acquisition before the 2024 trade deadline. Walker’s injury was enough to push the team to consider free agent Jordan Montgomery before he ultimately signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“The Philadelphia Phillies are at least internally discussing the possibility of pursuing free agent starter Jordan Montgomery but no decision has been made on whether they plan to contact agent Scott Boras,” per Nightengale. “There’s a renewed sense of urgency with Taijuan Walker opening the season on the injured list with a sore shoulder.”
The Phillies might also look internally to fill out the rotation if another injury or concerns with Turnbull’s performance warrant a change.
“The top choices in Triple A: lefty Kolby Allard, Max Castillo and Tyler Phillips, a South Jersey native who left a positive impression in Spring Training,” according to Lauber. “Prized prospect Mick Abel could be an option by midseason.”