Every Tuesday, On Pattison's Tim Kelly and Anthony SanFilippo will answer your questions from social media pertaining to the Phillies. Let's get to it.
@MrEd315 on X: What should the Phillies request from Santa this holiday season? And will it be a short or long list?
Tim Kelly: Obviously, you could say the Phillies should ask Santa for Juan Soto, Garrett Crochet, etc. Let's be a little more creative.
One thing I think the 2025 Phillies really have to be hopeful for is another peak offensive year from Trea Turner. The Phillies are keeping him at shortstop, and the defense is probably going to be the defense. It will be a lot easier to overlook some shortcomings in the field if he has a superstar season at the plate, and on the basepaths.
The Phillies gave Turner an 11-year/$300 million deal based off of him hitting .316 with an .877 OPS and 16.3 WAR between 2020 and 2022, with FanGraphs saying he was the second to only Aaron Judge among all position players in WAR over that period.
In two seasons with the Phillies, Turner has had some really nice stretches at the plate, but things have been very uneven. He's hit .279 with a .791 OPS and 8.2 WAR. He only stole 19 bases in 2023, as it seemed to take him some time to get comfortable running 100% after he missed six weeks with a left hamstring strain.
Turner is only entering his age-32 season. Perhaps he won't steal quite as many bases or hit for as many triples as he once did, but he should still be at the height of his powers as a hitter. A peak year from Turner would go a long way as the Phillies try to edge out the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets in the NL East next year.
Post Phillies win reading: @2008Philz sat down with @philly_captain to talk all things The Turnaround, a short film about the Trea Turner standing ovation.
⚾ Read here: https://t.co/rSOEZaxJxA pic.twitter.com/rc6GGr6HC8
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) September 4, 2024
Anthony SanFilippo: I love this question. So, I'm going to go a little outside the box with my answer. They should ask the big fella (Santa, not Rhys Hoskins), for a fountain of youth. Because here's the thing — the Phillies went through it a bit last season with injuries.
Think about it — every regular position player missed time with an injury except Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott. Then there was Ranger Suárez. And José Alvarado. And Spencer Turnbull. And Taijuan Walker (not that him missing time was a bad thing — you just don't want the guy to be injured).
Now, most of them will be back next season — and they'll all be a year older. While Santa's elves are magical and all, I'm not sure that even they can turn back time, but the way to do it right is to manage veteran usage a little better by adding some youth and some depth that can be called upon and keep the team playing well.
They had it in tiny spurts last season, but it'd be nice to unwrap a couple of those presents come Christmas morning so 2025 won't require as much finger-crossing.
@JZ0418 on X: What is a signing/trade each of you think the Phillies could/should make that isn't being talked about?
Tim Kelly: I've written quite a bit about how good of a fit I think Ha-Seong Kim would be if the Phillies trade Alec Bohm — more on that in a minute — and need a third baseman to bridge them until Aidan Miller (assuming he's a third baseman and not a shortstop, which probably shouldn't be assumed). Kim makes contact, draws walks and is an excellent defender at three different infield positions.
Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals is a trade candidate I think more people should be talking about. He's in his first of three arbitration years, has just a 13.7% career strikeout percentage and can play all over the diamond, including left field. The only negative about him as far as the Phillies are concerned is he hits left-handed, and it would give them a very lefty-heavy lineup.
Anthony SanFilippo: It's hard to come up with a trade, because it really would depend on who is available. I mean, no one is talking about the Phillies trading for Shohei Ohtani, but that's not going to happen, right?
So, I'll stick to free agent signings.
Let's look at the bullpen. The Phillies obviously need to sign righties. The arms from the left side are pretty much locked in place with Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks and Alvarado.
But on the right you've got Orion Kerkering and... José Ruiz?
And...?
Max Lazar???
See what I'm getting at?
What Relievers Could Phillies Target via Trade Outside of Helsley and Williams? - @OnPattison https://t.co/cKppMtIoV5
Sure, Jeff Hoffman could be back. And they'll likely trade for another back of the bullpen arm — like a Ryan Helsley, for example.
But they could use another middle relief righty. So, how about signing an under-the-radar veteran to a short-term deal? Ever heard of Buck Farmer?
He'll turn 34 in February, and he's been toiling in obscurity in Detroit and Cincinnati his whole career. Yet, in his last six seasons, he's thrown 317 1/3 innings and allowed just 272 hits (7.7 H/9) and has 318 strikeouts, or one per inning.
Last season, he threw 71 innings for the Reds and had a 1.19 WHIP and registered a career-best 1.7 WAR, per Baseball Reference.
Last offseason he was a free agent as well and re-signed with the Reds right before Christmas on a one-year deal worth $2.23 million. Give him a boost in that salary and plug him in and have a nice, low-key addition to the bullpen.
@Shermaning on X: What are the chances that the Phils will actually keep Bohm (their only consistent contact hitter), and trade another everyday starter?
Tim Kelly: The Phillies don't have to trade Bohm, but it would definitely be a bit awkward to bring him back when multiple credible reporters have put out there that they've shopped him this offseason.
The problem with trading another everyday starter is who would that be? You'd be selling low on Bryson Stott after a down year, and he's very close with Bryce Harper. Nick Castellanos is still owed $40 million the next two years, so you'd have to eat some or all of that to move him. From the perspective of trying to get less swing and miss, moving Brandon Marsh could make sense. But there's so few players who are able to play center field competently and provide anything at the plate.
#Phillies Are ‘Less Inclined’ To Move Brandon Marsh
onpattison.com/news/2024/no...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) November 26, 2024 at 5:02 PM
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Of course, if you do trade Bohm, you have to replace with an impact right-handed hitter. The Phillies aren't going to trade Bohm and then just have Edmundo Sosa play third base 125 times next year. So there's a lot of moving parts.
Anthony SanFilippo: Nothing is set in stone. There are myriad possibilities that could still play out, and that could include keeping Bohm. But the reality is, his name is out there and the Phillies are trying to use the fact that he's still under 30, has two years of team control and he's an NL All-Star as something attractive to upgrade elsewhere.
But, if they don't get the value for him, he could be back and someone else could be gone. The Phillies would trade Castellanos, but they'd probably have to eat some of his contract, which isn't desirable when you are trying to win a championship. Suárez could fetch some value if the Phillies can add another solid No. 4-type pitcher until Andrew Painter is ready to come up this season.
From @AntSanPhilly: Should the Phillies Consider Trading Ranger Suárez?https://t.co/RxcRX2d7IT
So yes, there are other possibilities. I just think Bohm is more likely to be used in a trade than anyone else.
@Kayceegirl on Bluesky: How optimistic are you that Jeff Hoffman re-signs? I was feeling good about it until I heard other teams were considering him as a starter.
Tim Kelly: If Hoffman decides he really likes the idea of giving starting pitching another shot, it probably won't be with the Phillies. And perhaps he'll get more money from a team interested in him as a starter.
My guess is Hoffman will sign to be a high-leverage reliever somewhere, and I do believe based off of covering him the last two seasons that he would like to remain with the Phillies. It's just a matter of whether the Phillies present an offer that's competitive.
Jeff Hoffman Thinks He Could Be ‘Great’ Starter, but Also Wants ’To Get the Last Out’ #Phillies
onpattison.com/news/2024/no...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) November 26, 2024 at 11:14 AM
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Anthony SanFilippo: On the optimism scale, I'm somewhere between Janine from Abbott Elementary and Ted Lasso.
In short, I'm pretty confident.
I think the whole starter thing was a fun sugar rush as some teams try to identify the next Reynaldo López or Michael King — guys who were good relievers who converted to starters. Hoffman never had success as a starter in the majors but found it in a late-inning role with the Phillies. That means something to him. So does the proximity to his family in New York. He wants to stay here and I think the Phillies want him. I think they'll get it done soon.
@Jovan10 on Bluesky: With Hoffman and Estévez both free agents, who are some potential relievers the Phillies should go after?
Tim Kelly: Blake Treinen is someone I've written about as a possible target. He looked all the way back from right shoulder surgery as he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. He is 36, but that means it would be a shorter commitment than some of the other relievers on the market.
José Leclerc is another intriguing free agent with a World Series victory on his resume. He struggled this past year for the Texas Rangers, posting a 4.32 ERA over 64 games. But the prior season, he was the primary late-game relief option for Bruce Bochy as the Rangers won the first World Series title in their franchise's history. Bringing him in as your second highest-leverage reliever would make sense to me.
From @TimKellySports: Blake Treinen Would Make Sense As Bullpen Target For Phillieshttps://t.co/XxRokDDvrX
Anthony SanFilippo: They're going to trade for a reliever, and sign at least one if not two more. I expect them all to be right-handed too.
If you piece my answers to earlier questions above together, you'd find that I think it could be Helsley (via trade), Hoffman (as a free agent) and one more. I suggested Farmer, but if the Phillies are on tilt (and I believe they are) I get the sense Clay Holmes could be a target as well.
If your brain hasn't yet been completely rotted by the internet, it's not too late to turn back.
Bryce Harper Lost a Home Run Derby to the Costco Kid #Phillies
onpattison.com/news/2024/de...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 10:39 AM
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